For The One That I Should Love
by Temari08
Summary: Two years after the love of her life dies, Sakura finds herself clinging to the past. She can't let go of the memories of Sasuke. Trying to find solace in her life, she falls for the least likely person. This story includes the KakaSaku pairing.
1. Reverie

Hello everyone! Okay, this is the first story I've ever posted on but I have read many of the other inspiring stories on here. Therefore, I have decided to try my own hand at writing. I hope you enjoy my first story and thanks for reading!

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The automatic doors of the hospital entrance quietly slid open and closed in a matter of seconds. Sayo peered at the round clock ticking away on the far left wall. The little hour hand was nearly positioned on the five, and the big minute hand was just past the eleven.

Sayo groaned at the inconvenience one more patient would cause her. It was almost five o'clock, time for her shift to end. She focused her attention back on the medical papers she had been working on and pretended to be oblivious to the figures slowly heading her way.

The casual sound of two masculine voices laughing forced her to glance back up. Her eyes widened in shock to see two familiar Jounin making their way towards her desk.

The latter ninja didn't concern her; it was just the taijutsu specialist Gai. His thick eyebrow were creased from the big sparkling smile he aimed at her as he flipped the bangs of his bowl-shaped haircut away from his rugged face.

The man she concerned herself with was the one in front; he noticed the attention of her fixed sapphire orbs as he strode up to the desk. Gai remained a few feet behind with the grin still plastered in his face. He knew what was coming.

Sayo folded her thin arms across her chest and glared up at the man called Genma as he stood before her smirking. She felt the heat of anger rise to her cheeks as she recalled their last meeting in the hospital. He had brought her a patient fresh from the battlefield wrapped up in blankets. Genma had stood across the operating table as Sayo began to unwrap the bloodied blankets, all the while glancing quizzically up at the ninja, his lengthy senbon flicking back and forth between his pearly whites.

Everything would have been just fine except for one little problem: the supposed "patient," to Sayo's dismay, was not only partially dismembered but entirely dead. Sayo had flown back from the already rotting corpse and towards the closest garbage can. Afterwards, she had cursed Genma out with the full-fledged mouth of a sailor and sent him running from the hospital to the sounds of flying metal bedpans aimed at his head.

She shivered slightly and shook her head to gain control of herself. Genma gave a slight bow and smirked again.

"Why, Sayo," he said, his voice emanating the charm he was famous for, "it's been so long since I've laid eyes on you. Have you missed me?"

Sayo watched Gai out of the corner of her eye. His cheeks were puffed out and his chest was heaving as he tried to contain his overwhelming laughter. Sayo gripped the edges of the desk until her knuckles were a starch white color.

"Yeah," she gritted through her clenched teeth, trying to fight the urged to fling a nearby lamp at his cocky face. "The way I miss a good slap in the face."

Her hands continued to grip the edges of the desk as she stood up abruptly, downing her chair in the movement. She peered over the edge and down the front; Genma held the beginnings of a white bundle of sheets stretching nearly six feet in length while Gai held up the end. Sayo's heart stopped momentarily at the sight; it was just like that time before.

"Well," Genma said, "I figured you missed my company, so I came to see you." He glanced down at his parcel. "I even brought you a gift; a new patient." He winked at her as the color continued to drain from her already pale face.

Sayo took a step back and let her caught breath quickly escape. Her hand edged ever so slightly towards the ever promising form of the lamp.

"What's the matter," Genma asked in mock surprise, "I thought you loved caring for patients." He eyed the ebony-haired kunoichi as he waited for a reaction. He counted down the seconds. Three, two, one.

"Yes, when they are actually alive," she yelled as her voice gained momentum and volume, "Not when they are mutilated corpses wrapped up in yesterday's linen! This is a hospital…" She paused a moment to take a deep breath before bellowing her conclusion, "NOT A MORGUE!"

At the sudden outburst, Gai let go of his end of the bundled form and it, along with the ninja, dropped to the floor. He rolled back and forth as he gasped for breath from his hyperventilated laughing. Sayo's eyes glared like laser beams at the two Jounin; Genma realized he had gone a little too far. He tried to hide his smile with the back of his hand.

Sayo's chest rose and fell more evenly now, even though anger still coursed through her veins. She tried her best to compose herself. She forcefully tucked back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

Genma cleared his throat as he tried to explain the situation for his presence. Gai still sat on the floor, wiping his eyes on his bright green jumpsuit.

"Don't worry," Genma started, "this time I promise the guy is –"

"STOP!" Sayo roared, this time in desperation instead of rage. "Just stop," her voice pleaded warily. She righted the overturned chair and fell back into it with her eyes closed. She wasn't even going to deal with it. "They don't pay me enough," she muttered to herself.

Genma stretched his head forward as he strained to hear the comment. "Beg your pardon?" He asked innocently. Mayo shook her head in defeat. She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed in an extension.

"I can't do this," she said, "my shift is over in forty-three seconds and I have a date tonight. I'll let the hospital manager deal with you." She tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently as the phone continued to ring.

Finally she heard a voice come across the line. She sat up straight and eyed Genma and Gai, who were once again up and holding the bundle between them.

"There are two Jounin here at the front with a patient." She paused for a moment. "Yes, I know, and I apologize. However, I feel that you are the best person to deal with it, considering the situation." Another pause. "Which room do you want them in?"

Sayo made some notes on a piece of paper, nodding her understanding to the invisible speaker. "Yes ma'am. Alright, I'll send them up." She placed the phone back in its cradled and scribbled a few more notes.

"Well?" Genma eyed the paper as Sayo promptly folded it in half and placed a seal on it. She shoved the note into his vest pocket.

"Go to room 205 on the second floor. If she's not there yet, she will be shortly."

_

* * *

The light crept across the window sill and spilled over onto the floor in its conquest to reach the occupied hospital bed. The staunch curtains fluttered in the morning sunlight as a cool breeze settled itself into the room. _

_A young woman of sixteen sat beside the bed, her mass of long bubblegum pink tresses cascading onto the light blue hospital blanket. Her head rested on her arms as she slept bent over onto the bed for support._

_The young man who occupied the bed could not have been much older than the girl. His own head rested on the mountain of pillows someone had built up for him. Strands of midnight black hair adorned the pillow and partially covered his smooth, handsome face._

_The blankets covered only up to his mid torso area, leaving exposed the wrappings of fresh white medical bandages around his chest and left arm. His hand twitched slightly as a shiver raced through his body, brought on by the cool breeze. Slowly, the man let one eye squint open, and then the other._

_The vision of the room swirled its way into place, and he rubbed and blinked the sleep away from his eyes. He tried to remember where he was and why, but the thoughts eluded him momentarily as he realized something was in contact with his bandaged hand. He peered down at his side and saw his hand was covered by someone else's; a feminine hand, small and petite in its own way. The arm of the woman disappeared beneath the pink hair splayed on the bed as recognition came to the man's face._

"_Sakura."_

_The name slipped out from his opened mouth involuntarily, as if it was the only word he ever knew. The young woman stirred at the sound of her name; although she had been up for over twenty four hours and found the solace of sleep in the last one, she had slept lightly all the same._

_Gradually, the pink haired head lifted up from its resting place, urged on to find the source of the sound. She recognized the voice. Even though it had been so long she still remembered the quiet yet deep timbre of his voice. He had called her name._

_Sakura's emerald eyes slowly traced their way up from the pair of entwined hands; along the bandaged arm; past the exposed shoulder blade. There she stopped, afraid to look up into the eyes of the man in the bed, afraid of the excess of emotions or the lack thereof that might be displayed in those onyx eyes._

_Another hand lifted Sakura's trembling chin until the faces were even. She still kept her line of sight down, fear keeping her from looking straight at him now._

"_Sakura," the voice whispered calmly, "Look at me."_

_Bit by bit the bright green eyes found their way to his face. The smooth line of his lips, the comforting curve of his nose, and finally, the deep expanse of his shining black eyes._

"_Sasuke-kun." Sakura tried the word out on her quivering voice. The name sounded so foreign now when it was spoken by her voice. She had thought the name over and over in her mind for the last three years, but out of fear of losing self control she had never uttered it once. She repeated the name again, but dropped the childish suffix of affection she had always attached to it._

"_Sasuke."_

_Her emerald eyes pooled with the onslaught of tears that had long awaited the chance to flow freely. Try as she might, Sakura battled to hold them back and was failing miserably._

_She blinked her eyes to relieve her blurred vision as she gazed at Sasuke. His nonchalant demeanor would have been perfect save the emotions that betrayed him in his own watery eyes. He brushed his own tears away with the back of his hand before repeating the motion on Sakura's dampened cheeks. He wiped his hand across the blanket, and then pulled himself to sit up. Sakura stood up from her chair; she wondered if he was really going to try to get up and leave._

"_Sasuke you're not supposed to–" Sakura stopped as Sasuke grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to sit beside him on the bed. He paused a moment as he weighed the consequences of his actions. Sakura stared intensely at his wounds and then his face again._

"_Look if you need something–" Sakura tried again. This time, the rest of her words fell silently to the ground. Everything happened so fast. First he looked away; then he gazed at her fiercely with his mind made up. He pulled her closer and closer until Sakura could feel the heat of Sasuke's body through her own blouse. He wrapped his good arm around her as he brought her into a tight embrace._

_Slowly, as her body absorbed the shock of being held by the only boy she had ever loved, Sakura allowed her own arms to bring him closer to her. She took in a deep breath and buried her face into his neck. The scent of his body overwhelmed her as the tears welled up once again._

_She held on tightly to the long lost boy who had finally come home to her._

* * *

The blaring sound of the telephone ringing brought Sakura out of her extended reverie. She glared accusingly at the device for its intrusion and then sighed in frustration. The memories always occurred at the most inconvenient times: when she found herself lonely in her bed at night or in the brief moments of peace and quiet she experienced in the seclusion of her office. No matter when or where, the memories would come flying out of nowhere to haunt the spaces of her mind and challenge her will. 

After taking a second her calm her disheveled mind she picked up the mouth piece and spoke into it.

"Hello, this is Haruno Sakura." She paused for a response. "Oh, Sayo," she said, slightly worried by the distress of the voice on the other end. "I'm actually a little busy at the moment." After a moment she said, "Umm… fine. I'll be down in a few minutes." She checked through her clipboard charts before replying, "Put them in room 205 and tell them to wait for me."

Sakura hung up the phone and made a quick note by the number on her sheet. She glanced at her watch and swore under her breath. No wonder Sayo wanted to dump the patient off on her; the time was already nearing five o'clock. Sakura pulled her white lab coat off its hook and grabbed the clipboard before turning the lights off and heading out the door.

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Okay, so if you're still reading, then you must have read this chapter. Any questions, comments, and helpful hints are always welcomed. Expect more updates throughout the week. 

Temari


	2. The Ailing Ninja And A Boy Called Hokage

A/N: Okay, here's chapter 2. You can probably expect a couple more chapters out this week. It's Spring Break and my fingers are itching to type. I really hope you guys enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: Also, I forgot to put this in the first chapter, so it will only appear on this one. I do not own any of the original characters from Naruto. This story is purely a work of my own mind, fancies, preferences, what-have-you, etc.

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The heavy clicking of sandaled feet echoed in the luminescent hallway. Sakura nearly had to drag herself down to the second floor to room 205. As she approached the closed door she could just make out the voices of two men laughing. She wondered why the voices were so casual and unworried. She knocked on the door. 

Genma and Gai stood up as the heavy door slowly creaked open. After a moment the figure of a young kunoichi with bubblegum locks wrapped tightly in two French braids walked into the room. Her spectacled emerald eyes were focused on the clipboard she held in one arm.

"Sorry for the delay," she said, still studying some notes on her clipboard, "I am the hospital manager. If you just give me a moment, I'll be right with you."

After another minute or so, Sakura peered up to survey the hotel visitors. Her eyes widened in surprise. Standing before her were two Jounin she had come to know and love. She scowled at them; they had let her go on with her little speech and hadn't even said a word.

"Genma, Gai, why didn't you say something?" She ran up to them and gave them both a small punch in the arm before pulling them both into a hug. As she stepped back, Genma scanned Sakura and whistled.

"Well, you were standing there looking so professional and all, I couldn't help but stare," Genma chuckled. "You look damn good, Sakura. You wouldn't happen to be seeing anybody by chance?"

Sakura shook her head and finger at him. "No," she laughed, "And I don't plan to start now. I know what kind of reputation you've got. I'm surprised you're not in here yourself for all the extracurricular activities you pride yourself on."

Gai broke out in laughter and Genma put on a mock frown of disappointment. He snapped his fingers and sighed, "Well, it was worth the try."

Sakura tried to hide the smile on her lips as she straightened her lab coat. "So," she said, now serious, "I heard there is a patient here to see me." She scanned the room behind the guys and frowned. No one was there. "Where is he?" She looked quizzically back and forth between the two men.

Genma nudged Gai to start talking. "Your patient," Gai said, his brilliant smile illuminating his face, "is on the floor." The two men stepped aside, and Sakura spotted the bundle of white sheets on the gray tiles of the floor. She glanced back at the Jounin and raised a fine eyebrow.

"This," she said, nudging the bulk, "is my patient?" Gai nodded and strode towards the parcel.

"Special delivery ordered by the Hokage-sama himself," Gai said, his laughing eyes watching Sakura's face. He picked up the bundle with a small grunt and placed it on the bed. It shifted slightly, and a muffled cry escaped from one end.

Sakura jumped back in surprise and laughed. She was quickly grasping the situation at hand. "Gai, don't tell me you actually…"

"That's right!" Gai roared in triumph. "I've finally outsmarted my greatest rival in Konoha." He puffed his chest out and stuck his nose into the air.

"How did you…?" Sakura couldn't suppress a slight giggle as she pictured the man wrapped in the blankets.

"Actually," Genma started, "It's a very funny story involving a frying pan and the latest copy of Icha Icha Paradise."

Sakura held up a hand as she bent over to laugh. "S-save it for later," she said between giggles, "I can't have you embarrassing my patient." She tried to muster a serious face as she pushed the two men out of the room.

"Hey don't you think we should stay?" Genma asked innocently. "I promise we won't tease him." Sakura shook her head and smiled.

"Sorry, boys," she said, "That would breach my doctor-patient confidentiality." She waved at the two as they started walking down the hall, chuckling. Sakura closed the door behind her and sighed. She could always count on Genma and Gai to make a lively show for her.

Sakura tiptoed toward the bundle, now bustling on the hospital bed. "It's ok," she said, "I made them leave so you don't lose all of your pride." She approached the end where sound was coming from and begin to unwrap the top. She spied the tips of messy silver hair, then a Konoha forehead protector, then a face masked in black silk. The disorientated black eye of Hatake Kakashi peered up at her.

"Oh my God are you God! Oh thank God I'm saved!" His words came out in run-on sentences. Sakura frowned at the back of the door. Genma must have put a genjutsu on the Copy Ninja, otherwise he would never babble about things like this. Sakura pulled the forehead protector away from his head so she could peer into his black eye as well as his Sharingan.

"Kakashi," Sakura called out loudly, "Kakashi look at me. Look at my eyes." She took the Jounin's face in her cucumber cool hands and forced it to face her own. "You're in the hospital with me, Sakura. Whatever you're seeing is just an illusion. Kakashi-sensei, come back."

Kakashi's eyes blinked a few times and his pupils dilated to a normal circumference. He was coming out of the spell. He scrunched his face and shook his head lifting his eyelids. The first thing he saw were the emerald orbs staring into his own.

Sakura pulled her face back and smiled at her former teacher. "It's about time someone finally got you in here. I've heard that you have been sitting at home for the past three days, sick as a dog." Kakashi looked away and sighed.

"Sakura," he said; his voice was scratchy and low, "I'm perfectly fine. My supposed 'friends' just like to overreact sometimes. I was going to come eventually." Sakura shook her head at him.

"Yeah, when you were dead. Kakashi-sensei," she frowned, as if speaking to a small child, "I know you don't like going to the hospital if you can't avoid it. But I'm a very good doctor now. You see," she pointed to her name tag, "I'm even smart enough to run the whole hospital by myself." She laughed at his foreboding scowl. "Don't give me that look, or I might have to make this painful for you."

Sakura started to unwrap the rest of the cloth from around his body. When he was completely free, she told him to sit back on the bed and washed her hands in the sink by the counter. Kakashi studied his former student with hidden pride. Sakura was twenty-one now and had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. She was intelligent, confident, hardworking, and always on time. He was glad to see her doing so well after everything that had happened in the last two years. He surveyed her as she set some instruments on a tray. He noted her bubblegum hair in tight braids that trailed down the back of her lab coat. She still kept her hair long in the memory of the man she had loved. Kakashi sighed and shook his head.

Sakura glanced up from the tray. "What's the matter?" She stared at Kakashi curiously. The copy ninja waved his hands and smiled beneath his mask.

"Nothing, except that I feel like I was run over by a train." He lifted himself into a better sitting position so that he could watch Sakura's movements. "How are _you_ doing?" He glanced at the metal instruments she was still arranging on the platter and shuddered. He hated the hospital when he was the one being treated.

"I'm fine, I guess," she said. She gave a half-hearted smile but didn't look up. "I mean, I've got plenty to keep myself busy what with running the hospital and all, so I can't complain." Sakura knew what Kakashi was trying to do, where this conversation was supposed to lead. She wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone, even her dear old instructor.

Sakura cleared her throat and pulled the tray toward the bed. She was ready. "Okay, sensei, you're going to have to remove your mask and…" Sakura's voice trailed off as she realized the concern in his face. He looked as if Sakura had just asked him to do something forbidden, something sinful and scandalous. She remembered how adamant he had always been about keeping his face and private life hidden. Kakashi thrived on privacy.

"Fine," she said, "I'll turn around and close my eyes while you figure out some way to keep your face hidden while I check your throat. You can't leave the hospital without my permission, and you can only get it if I fill out this form." She held a printed paper in front of the copy ninja's face. He rolled his eyes.

"I can't believe this," Kakashi grumbled, "I'm a grown man and I have to go through all of this bull…" His voice trailed off and Sakura couldn't help but smile while she turned her back towards him.

After five minutes or so, Kakashi gave a grunt, indicating he was ready. Sakura turned around and stared at the Copy Ninja. He had taken one of the sheets that his captors had used to bind him and ripped it into pieces. Each thick strip had been wound around his face in the most peculiar fashion. The only part of his lower face that was exposed were Kakashi's fine lips. Sakura smiled inwardly; no fish lips here, she thought to herself.

"Okay," she sat on the bed beside him, "Sit up and say ahhh."

"Ahhhhhhhh."

Sakura stuck a Popsicle stick into his mouth and shined her flashlight into the caverns of Kakashi's tonsils. She turned her head slightly and squinted her eyes.

"Hmmm…" Sakura sat back up and wrote something on her clipboard. "Stay still now, I have to do just one thing." She took an overgrown q-tip and twisted the stick around in her hands before jamming it into the back of Kakashi's throat.

The Copy Ninja coughed and pushed himself onto the floor. He found the garbage can beside the sink and Sakura could hear him retching his lunch into it. Sakura smirked in satisfaction.

"That should do it." She stood up and went back to the tray, setting up a kit to test the swab. Kakashi moved to the sink and washed his mouth out with cold water, trying to remove the taste of fresh vomit that lingered. He sat on the edge of the bed, far away from Sakura, and glowered.

"That wasn't funny," he grumbled. Sakura smiled at him as she kept her eyes on the kit.

"It's a test to check for Strep Throat. I knew I would never get a sample from you if I told you what I was going to do. It's your own fault for being stubborn." Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, slightly surprised she had been able to trick Kakashi.

"Now just sit still for a moment and I'll tell you what's wrong with you." She sat back down on the bed and scribbled some more notes. "As I suspected, you do test positive for the bacteria associated with Strep. I'm not surprised, though; this has been going around the village." She glanced at him. "I'm going to give you a shot of medicine now, and I'll give you a prescription to pick up some antibiotics at the pharmacy. I'm prescribing medicine, bed rest, water, and hot foods for the next three days."

She ripped the paper off her clipboard and handed it to him. She realized in shock that he had already replaced his black silky mask over his face and grinned.

"You shouldn't wear that mask all the time. I bet you have a gorgeous smile," she teased.

"And you shouldn't work so much all the time," he teased right back. "I bet you would turn out to be a real party girl."

Sakura snorted at the assumption. "Yeah," she laughed, "and about as much fun as a stick in the mud." She walked towards the door and Kakashi followed.

"Now, I want you to take good care of yourself," she said, her voice serious this time. "If you don't nip this in the bud, you could get really sick." Kakashi gave Sakura a salute.

"Aye aye, Captain," he said, his eye crinkling from a smile. Sakura laughed as she walked him down the hall.

"I heard Tsunade turned the hospital over to you two months ago, when the new Hokage was inducted," Kakashi said. Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, and she took off to the nearest train station to catch a ride to the closest gambling city." Sakura scratched her head in wonder. "I can't believe how much she loves to gamble when she always loses. I've made at least a thousand dollars off of her over the last few years from bets alone. She sends me a letter every week, but…" Sakura lowered her head. "I was kind of sad to see her go."

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder and she glanced up at Kakashi. He hugged her shoulders as they kept walking.

"You know, Sakura, if you ever want to talk my door is always open," Kakashi said in a low voice as they passed the occupied rooms. Sakura smiled at him and nodded.

"I know," she said, "I just need some time." He nodded back in understanding.

"Anyways," she said, trying to change the subject, "I heard that you were brought to the hospital on the direct orders of the Rokudaime himself. And get off of me," she laughed suddenly, pushing Kakashi away. "You're going to get me sick now."

He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "I try my best."

Sakura opened her mouth to give him a little lecture on the communicability of Strep Throat when she spotted a figure racing toward them. The man was dressed in a flowing white robe whose edges were immersed in crimson flames. The hat of the Hokage sat upon his head.

Trailing behind the man were four ANBU members who had removed their animal masks. They all looked to be at the onset of anxiety attacks as they followed behind the man. "Hokage-sama, wait," they cried in bursts. The golden blond-haired man, however, kept up his pace as he spotted Sakura and Kakashi. They halted to a stop and could barely suppress the smiles that fought to overtake their faces.

Uzumaki Naruto pulled off his hat, smiled at the pair ahead of him, and grimaced at the four behind him.

"Jeeze, I just can't shake these guys," he said, "They even sit outside the door and windows whenever I'm in the bathroom. If someone doesn't assassinate me I'll probably die of constipation."

Sakura snorted at Naruto's speculation and released a pent-up laugh. Kakashi, meanwhile, just stood there and shook his head. "I see you're still the number-one ninja when it comes to surprising people."

Naruto nodded as he stopped beside Sakura and smiled, "You know it!" He grinned wickedly before glancing back over his shoulder. "Oi," he called, "I told you guys I'd be right back. There's a little something called privacy that you should read up on." Naruto slapped his forehead and sighed.

"It's nice to see you again, _Hokage-sama_," Kakashi said, "And thank you for having me kidnapped and brought to the hospital. It made my day."

Naruto grinned apologetically and laughed. "Anything for my favorite teacher," he said. "I just thought you needed some persuasion from trustworthy friends to get you here." He leaned towards Sakura. "He's alright, right?"

Sakura nodded. "Yep, or he will be, at least. He just has a case of Strep Throat," she said, folding her arms over her chest in a matter-of-fact manner. One of the ANBU cried out in disbelief.

"Hokage-sama, that's contagious! We should get out of here!" The group of ANBU reached Naruto and bowed on the floor.

Naruto sucked at his teeth defiantly and said, "I don't get sick." He winked at Sakura. "But I heard that you could get all sorts of illnesses if you're rundown, tired, and stressed out like you guys. Hey, I think you guys are looking kind of pale," he pointed out. The squad of ANBU looked horrified at the prospect of an epidemic and ran back down the hall before disappearing from sight.

Naruto let a whistle escape. "Free at last." He took one last look down the hallway. "That is the fifth ANBU squad I've scared off this month. You think they'd get the picture by now. Oh man, you should see how they get whenever I tell them I'm going to spend time with my friends or Hinata. They go ballistic." He sighed, "Being Hokage is a lot more work than I thought."

Sakura opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it. She closed her mouth and glanced at Kakashi. "Hey," she said to Naruto, "I've got a mission for you, if you want." She smiled at him.

"A mission? Sure," he said enthusiastically. Sakura became very formal and stood straight.

"Your mission, should you choose to accept, is to make sure that one Hatake Kakashi returns to his home and takes his medicine for the night." She broke into a smile. "I would if I could," she admitted, "But I don't get off until 9 pm. Also, make sure to go see Hinata."

"I accept," Naruto said. He grabbed his former teacher's arm and pulled him down the hall. "Say goodbye to Sakura-chan for now, _Kakashi-sensei_." Kakashi looked back over his shoulder helplessly as Sakura continued to stand there smiling. She gave a little wave as the pair turned around the corner and out of sight.

"Some things never change," she mused under her breath as stretched her arms and walked back up to her office.

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Thanks for reading. As always, questions, comments, and helpful hints are welcomed. Reviews also make for a happy author, too :) 

I hope everyone has a nice Easter; or if you don't celebrate it, then have a nice Sunday.


	3. Sunflowers

A/N: Hello again. I managed to get three chapters done in one day! Okay, I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I did writing it._

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_

_The sunlight splashed across the meadow as the sun rose up to its usual position in the 11 am sky. The field of sunflower stalks swayed in the gentle breezes and stretched up to meet the warmth of the light in a welcoming embrace of land and sky._

_The hills surrounding the little pasture of flowers secluded it from the rest of the world, and a lone tree stood at its center like a guard tower over the sacred land. Butterflies frolicked from flower to flower, collecting the sweet nectars and participating in short-lived whirlwind dances before setting off to the bloom._

_A girl ran through the field of flowers as her long roseate hair streamed out behind her. A boy chased after the girl. They were playing a game remembered from childhood, even though they were almost adults._

_The boy had brought her here. It was an endearing place, a memory from his youth. His mother had always loved sunflowers, and the boy carried this thought with him even now._

"_You'll never catch me," the girl teased in a sing-song voice. She stuck her tongue out at the boy behind her and squealed as she saw him speed up._

"_That's what you think," he laughed out loud, racing to catch up with the girl. He kept his determined onyx eyes on her back as he slowly closed the distance between them._

_He watched the hem of her violet sundress fly out with every kick of her dainty bare feet. She had lost her sandals a while ago at the edge of the meadow. Now she ran freely, feeling the tickle of the bright green grass beneath her feet._

_The boy had dressed lightly that day; his only mission being to catch the barefoot beauty that evaded him. He wore a baggy pair of matching black ninja shirt and pants. He had taken the time to remove his own shoes and to leave them neatly set against a tree at the edge of the meadow._

_Soon he was within feet of her; there would be no complicated ninjutsu or trap devised to catch her. He would have to rely on his own strength to get a hold of her._

_She looked back again to see how close he was and let a mock look of terror slide across her face. She tried to pick up her speed but knew the inevitable was upon her. In a moment she felt two firm hands, one on her arm and the other at her waist; he pulled her into an abrupt stop._

_She laughed as the boy twirled her around to face him, a grin spread from ear to ear. However, his own momentum had been too great, the stop too quick. In a moment they fell back into the sunflowers and were hidden from view. They both laughed out loud and smiled at one another._

_The girl lay splayed with her back to the ground as the boy lay casually on top of her. He grinned and leaned towards her ear._

"_Caught you," he whispered, his smooth voice sending chills down her spine._

"_Fine," she said, "you caught me, but can you keep me?" She batted her eyelashes at him in a flirtatious manner before bursting into giggles._

_The boy smirked as he lifted his body up and positioned a leg on each side of her body. He took each of her hands in one of his own and pushed them gently along the grass, past her head._

"_I feel pretty assured of my abilities, actually," he said. He entwined his fingers with hers and gazed into her emerald eyes._

"_Ooh, don't we sound confident?" She turned her head and glanced at their hands. She laughed. "You know," she whispered, "this isn't really fair. I mean you're like ten times stronger than me." She pretended to pout._

"_Hey," he protested, chuckling, "you're the one who said we couldn't use any ninja skills. You can only blame yourself." She sighed and nodded her head._

"_Yeah," she said, "I've always been a sore loser. Okay then, you win." She looked into the onyx eyes. "Name your prize."_

"_Hmm," the boy said, eyeing the girl beneath him, "I think I caught a pretty good prize already." He lowered his face to the girl's porcelain skin until his lips were planted on her delicate cheek. The girl blushed at the sudden gesture of intimacy and felt her body flush._

"_What do you think?" He whispered in her ear again, sending another fit of shivers through her body. She released a quivering breath and closed her eyes._

"_I think…" she murmured, but the words were lost as the boy brought his lips to rest again her own rosy pair. He kissed her tenderly, and she didn't fight it. She didn't want to. The game they played now was so much bigger than the little array of tag they had dallied at only moments ago. She pushed back against his lips in a show of her own feelings, and he responded to it passionately._

_He let his lips linger against her skin for a moment longer before letting go of her hands. He rested his elbows gently at her sides and fingered the thin lace bow at the top of her dress. She watched him with a slight smile on her face as he studied the material with a serious intent. She knew what he was thinking._

_His finger slid through the loop of lace and cautiously tugged at it until the bow fell apart. His hands pulled gently at the edges of the dress that were now coming undone. Two small hands moved forward to still his own. He peered up to see those two wide emerald eyes gazing at him. There was a slight trace of fear hiding beneath them._

"_Wait," she whispered. She marveled at her hesitation. She had the man she wanted lying in her arms, ready to surrender himself on the spot to her after so many years of wistful thoughts and dreams. Now that the moment had presented itself, she couldn't go through with it._

"_I'm sorry," she murmured, "I can't. Not now." She turned her face away in shame._

_He tugged her chin up and she met the expanse of his endless eyes once again. There was no frustration or discontent that she had expected; no anger or disdain. The boy laced the seams back together and tied a neat little bow._

"_Don't be sorry," he said, "I'm not." He smiled at her and got up from the ground. He picked the girl up off the ground and carried her in his arms. He headed back toward the shade of the bordering trees. The girl rested her head of bubblegum locks against his chest and smiled._

* * *

_That night, as they sat in a candlelit restaurant on the quiet side of the village, the boy knelt down on one knee before the girl and removed a box from his dinner jacket._

"_I know you hate rings," he murmured, "so I thought a bracelet might suit you better." He snapped the box open and revealed a simple golden bracelet adorned with five evenly spaced diamonds. She willingly gave her hand to the boy as he slipped the jewelry onto her thin wrist._

_She smiled at the boy and nodded her head in agreement to a question he didn't have to ask. She released a small sob of happiness and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him again as she had done in the field earlier that day._

_The vision of the boy and girl faded into the darkness._

* * *

Sakura woke up, her body drenched in sweat and her heart racing. She whispered his name just once into the nothingness of the night. 

"Sasuke."

There was no response.

The other side of the bed was empty.

Had it been all along?

Sakura's hands fumbled through the sheets searching for anything; his hand, his chest, his warmth; any sign that he had been there. There was nothing. She was alone, as she had awoken to find herself on so many other nights. The man who continued to haunt her dreams no longer existed in the physical sense. The image of her self in those dreams was also gone; a simple shadow of her own innocence.

She had been innocent once.

Sakura pounded her hands against the pillows until she felt the familiar ache in her arms. The ache of need. The need to hold him one more time. She wouldn't utter another word throughout the course of the night. Words admitted there was a weakness. A weakness revealed the pains of a lifetime bundled in one soul. The pains would search for a release. Release meant only two options: pounding the pain out through physical force, or crying. After the day he died, she had made her decision.

She was never going to cry.

* * *

So there you have it. Thanks for reading. As always, questions, comments, and helpful hints are always welcomed. 

Temari


	4. Endearing Words And Scrambled Eggs

Hello again. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! Oh, how it brightens my day to see those little comments. Anyways, back to business. Here is the fourth chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

"You better stick that thermometer back in your mouth or I'm going to do it for you," Sakura threatened as she bustled about Kakashi's kitchen. The living room, dining area, and kitchen were all combined into one open area, so it was easy for Sakura to keep an eye on the Copy Ninja. She could see him fiddling with the thermometer in his mouth from her station at the little stove. 

Kakashi lay sprawled across the couch in his black t-shirt and sweatpants, a soft yellow blanket covering the lower half of his body. A thin slit in his typical black silk mask revealed his lips, which were set into a slight frown.

Kakashi eyed the little kunoichi as she set the teakettle on a backburner. "You know," he said, his speech muddled by the stick in his mouth, "you've made me ruin a perfectly good mask."

Sakura sighed and shook her head at him. She folded her arms across her chest and stared at him in frustration. She looked at little tired and on the verge of agitation.

"Excuse me," she said, "but we wouldn't have had this problem if you'd just take off that darn sock you like to wear over your face all the time."

Kakashi's eyes crinkled slightly as he secretly smiled at her comment. He couldn't really be upset with her; after all, here she was, coming to check up on him and make him breakfast.

"This '_sock_'," he said, "is the one reason why women find me so appealing. It makes me kind of mysterious, don't you think?" He winked at her and she scowled.

"Whatever you say, Sensei," she muttered, her eyebrows raised in doubt.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern underlying his voice. "Usually you'd laugh at something like that, or at least scold me."

Sakura tried to grin apologetically at her former instructor. She knew he was just trying to lighten up the mood, but the memories of the previous night weighed down on her so that it felt like she carried the world on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she said, gazing at the steam escaping through the kettle's spout. "I just didn't sleep very well last night."

She walked out from behind the counter and peered at her watch. She figured it must have been at least the required two minutes for the thermometer to measure his temperature. She sat down on the coffee table and pulled the stick out of Kakashi's mouth.

After a moment she looked up. A smile played on her lips. "Well," she said, "it looks like your fever has broken. But let me check your throat just to see if the swelling is subsiding."

Kakashi glanced around the room, looking for signs of another test kit. Sakura laughed as she realized why Kakashi hesitated to open his mouth.

"It's okay," she giggled, "I'm not going to do another swab; that was only to see if you had the Strep Throat. I just want to check your progress."

Kakashi eyed the kunoichi suspiciously and shrugged. "You have to promise," he said. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Alright, alright. I _promise_ I won't do it to you again," she sincerely responded. Finally Kakashi opened his mouth and let her look inside.

"Hmm…" Sakura murmured. She shined the flashlight into the back of his throat and nodded in approval. She pulled away from him and flicked the flashlight off.

"Everything looks good," she said, grinning at the success of her treatment. She got back up and headed to the kitchen, where the kettle had just started to whistle.

Kakashi watched as Sakura poured two cups of the steaming liquid and searched the cabinet for sugar. He couldn't deny that she had become quite a stunning young woman. Today, she had her bubblegum pink hair pulled back into a tight bun at the back of her head, and her feathered bangs fell lightly across her forehead. She wore a sleeveless indigo vest that zipped up the front and softly accented the curve of her body. Her legs sported a pair of lax beige capris.

The only sign that she was different from any other normal young woman in the village was the elegant swirl of a tattoo that traipsed along her upper left arm.

The official emblem of the ANBU.

Kakashi stared at the mark, which seemed more to him like a blemish on the smooth porcelain skin.

"I wasn't aware that you were still in ANBU," he said. Sakura looked up from the cups she was carrying back to the couch in surprise. Her eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as she passed a cup to the lounging ninja. Kakashi pointed to the tattoo on her arm.

"Oh," she said in realization, taking a seat on the edge of the couch. She ran a delicate hand along the skin where the mark persisted.

"No, I quit a while ago; maybe a year and a half or so." She continued to rub at the tattoo as the memories came back to her.

"You know, I joined the squad so that I could work with Sasuke," she said, a half-hearted smile playing on her lips, her eyes glazing over in recollection.

"He was a hunter-nin and an official escort at the time," she said. "They put me in intelligence, though, so I usually stayed behind here in Konoha. Every few months they'd send me out as a medic-nin when they thought it was necessary to do so. But after what happened, I felt like there was no reason for me to be there anymore, I guess. It didn't feel right."

Sakura turned her head to look out the sliding doors that led to the apartment patio. She sighed. "So I quit."

Kakashi watched the young kunoichi stare out the window. He remembered how hard it had been for her when Sasuke had died two years ago.

Sakura had always kept up the hope that he might return one day, no longer a slave to the demons of his past and his need to avenge his family; no longer bound to serve Orochimaru. And when he did return, she had cared not only for the wounds of his worn out body, but those of his fragile soul.

As the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, Sakura was able to tear away the walls of Sasuke's cold and aloof exterior. Soon Sasuke found himself immersed in feelings he had never known before. For the first time, he found himself in love with the roseate kunoichi. When his strength returned, and he had settled back into the life of a Jounin, he proposed to Sakura.

Being the sole heir to the Uchiha fortune, Sasuke bought them a nice house on the quiet side of town for the family they planned to raise. Sakura would never have to work again. She had been so happy on their wedding day; the natural essence of a serene bride. As he sat in the rows of guests, watching the two exchange their vows, Kakashi couldn't think of two people better suited for one another.

But that was before everything changed. It had been a little over a year after the couple had gotten married. The five-year peace treaties were coming to an end, and Konoha was making the final preparations for renewing its alliance with the Cloud Nation.

Sasuke's ANBU squad had been sent out around that time to escort an eminent figure of the Cloud Nation back to the borders of the countries. On their way home from this mission, however, Sasuke's squad had been attacked. In the early morning hours an elite troop of Cloud Ninja ambushed the squad. The conniving ruler of the ambitious country had decided to test the will of the Fire Nation and the nerve of Konoha.

While the whole enemy force was wiped out, along with the Cloud Nation's plans for conquest, only one ANBU member had died in the encounter.

Uchiha Sasuke.

Kakashi recalled how Sakura had stood at the foot of Sasuke's grave after the funeral. The rain poured down from the sky that day, crying the tears that she could not.

Her lengthy bubblegum locks matted to her back and stuck along her pale face. Her long black dress draped with the weight of the water against her thin frame. She just stared at the name engraved on the stone and the wreath of sunflowers that adorned it.

In the end, it had been Kakashi and Ino who had taken her home. Sakura refused to move from the spot, so Kakashi had been forced to carry the deadweight figure of the mourning woman away from the site. Ino had assured him that she would stay with Sakura that night.

He was almost tempted to stay as well, but thought better of it. There was nothing anyone could really do; Sakura had to get past this part on her own. As he closed the bedroom door behind him, he took one last glimpse at the woman lying in the bed; the Sakura he had always known. There in the darkness of the night, she would die, too. When morning came the body remained the same, but the spirit was broken.

To most people it seemed Sakura had moved on with her life; she was too busy with her job, among other things, to lament over Sasuke. The gathering circles of old women would spot her walking down the street, and they'd whisper praise among themselves at her ability to put the past behind her. But they were wrong.

Even now, two years later, Kakashi could still see the cracks in her soul where the wounds refused to mend. Sakura did her best to brush it off and act like everything was fine, but he knew better.

"What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi lifted his head up and acknowledged the words that came his way. Sakura still sat on the couch, but now she gazed at him intently. She repeated the words that had passed him by in his ponderings.

"I've been thinking about getting the tattoo removed," she said. "I have no reason to wear it now." Her emerald eyes lowered to her hand covering her left arm.

Kakashi thought about it for a moment. He pulled her hand away and traced the swirling lines with his own fingers. Sakura watched his movements and wondered what was running through his mind. His other hand still rested gently on her wrist as he continued to stare at the tattoo.

"I asked myself the same question when I retired from ANBU," he said. "After a time, I realized that the tattoo was like any other scar on my body. It was a sign of all the battles I had fought; everything I had won and everything I had lost. It was the history of a time in my life inscribed on my very skin. It belongs there to serve as a reminder that I have lived."

He glanced up at Sakura with his one exposed eye. She was smiling warmly, gratitude etched in her eyes. She took Kakashi's hands in her own and gave them a gentle squeeze.

"If it weren't for people like you in this world, Kakashi-sensei, I don't know what I would do." Sakura paused to think out her next words. "You…" she said, "You always know how to make my heart happy."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "That's what I'm here for," he said. He opened his arms wide and Sakura leaned forward to embrace him. She squeezed him tightly and sighed.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Kakashi. "This is a surprise," he said, "I thought you were afraid I'd get you sick." Sakura grinned up at the Copy Ninja.

"Yeah, I know," she said, "After you left the hospital my throat started getting sore, so I started myself on some antibiotics, too. Of course," she added, "I won't be sick in bed like you since I caught it so early." As Kakashi frowned, Sakura crinkled her nose at him and then laughed.

Kakashi playfully pushed her away and chuckled. "You're something else," he said. "If you want to stay, you're going to have to make me some breakfast." Sakura got up and headed back toward the kitchen.

"Fine," she said. "You like scrambled eggs?" She looked back over her shoulder, waiting for his response.

"Of course," Kakashi said. "Scrambled eggs are just fine."

* * *

Again, thanks for reading and reviewing. Questions, comments, and helpful hints are always welcomed. 

Temari08


	5. It's A Date

Hey there. As I'm sure you already know, this is chapter 5 of my story. I hope you guys enjoy it. Thanks for reading.

* * *

"_Just a few more steps," the masculine voice whispered in Sakura's ear. She laughed as the hands covering her closed eyes steered her in one direction, then another._

"_This better be good," she said, "I'm starting to get dizzy." She felt the breath of the man behind her fall against the nape of her neck as he chuckled quietly. His lips pressed lightly to her skin._

"_Don't worry," he reassured her, "You'll love it." After a moment they came to a stop, and the man removed his hands from her eyes. She felt the warmth of his body on her back dissipate. She bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for the cue._

"_Okay," he said. "Open your eyes."_

_Sakura lifted one eyelid slowly; then the other. She squinted as the light entered her emerald eyes, and she blinked until her vision had focused. The area around her settled into place, ushering a small gasp from the kunoichi._

_She was in a bright room with large open windows that let the sunshine stream in. There was no furniture on the dark wooden floor, no pictures hanging on the warm sandy walls. Yet Sakura couldn't deny that there was something about the room; a simple charm that was difficult to miss._

_The roseate kunoichi turned in a circle as she scanned the room. A doorway on the left opened into to a spacious kitchen donned in cool blue tones that were easy on the eyes._

_A few more steps in her revolution revealed the opening to a similar room; a staircase; then a half-opened shoji screen that led to a traditional wraparound deck, and the green grass and trees beyond it._

_Sasuke stood beside the screen, his strong arms folded over his chest. He watched Sakura's glowing face as she took in her surroundings. When her eyes landed on him, he smiled._

"_Oh, Sasuke," she whispered, her voice exhilarated, "It's beautiful." She spun around one more time before walking toward him._

"_I told you that you'd like it," he teased, tugging playfully at a strand of Sakura's hair. "There's something else I have to tell you, though," he said, his voice serious._

_He pointed out one of the windows to a sign on the lush lawn. The square sign listed the name and logo of the Konoha Real Estate Company; beneath that there was another notice attached. At the sight of it, Sakura's heart fell. The sign read "SOLD."_

_She batted away the tears that were forming in her eyes. She felt so stupid at the thought of crying over a house that wasn't even hers. Sasuke lifted her chin and wiped at the tears._

"_Now don't start crying yet," he said kindly. "You didn't let me finish. I came to see this house last month, and someone else had already put an offer in and signed the contract. He was very adamant about getting this piece of property. Can you believe he planned to knock it down and build a whole new house?" As he revealed the news to her, Sakura's lips turned into a frown._

"_So I went to visit this guy, and I asked him what it would take for him to sell this house to me. He wanted double what he paid for it."_

_Sakura shook her head in disbelief; even though she could guess the already staggering price of an original old house like this one on the nice side of town, the simple thought of the sum of twice the original amount made her woozy. It was more money than she had probably seen in her whole life._

"_It's a lot of money," Sasuke pointed out. "What could I do?" He scratched his head and shuffled his feet. Sakura turned her face away. She didn't want him to see the disappointment in her eyes._

"_So I had no other choice: I told him he had a deal."_

_Sakura stared wide-eyed at the onyx eyes he fixed on her. She opened her mouth and closed it. Finally she found her voice and managed to whisper, "You bought the house?" Sasuke grinned and nodded._

"_This house?" Again, he nodded. Suddenly a change came over her face; Sasuke could tell she was going to try and argue with him about it; to tell him it was too much money; that it wasn't worth it. He pressed a finger to her mouth before she could utter another word._

"_I'm not going to argue with you on this," he chuckled, "You're going to live in this house and you're going to like it. Cost is not a problem, if that's what you're worried about."_

_Sakura tried her best to glare at Sasuke, but broke down and laughed as he continued to grin. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him several times in pure elation. Sasuke lifted her up until her feet no longer touched the ground and spun her around. She giggled as the swirl of the room passed her by._

"_There are four bedrooms upstairs," he said, grinning as he placed her back down on the ground; but let his hands continue to rest on her waist. "There's one for you and me," he whispered; then his hands gently grabbed Sakura's, and he placed them over her stomach. "And there's three more for whoever else decides to come along." He raised and eyebrow and Sakura laughed._

"_Wow," she said, "That's an awful lot of space." Her eyes rolled to the side as she contemplated it. "So, how many other people were you planning to fit in this house?" She eyed Sasuke suspiciously as she awaited his answer._

_After thinking it over for a minute, he innocently said, "Oh, I don't know; five or six, just to start out." He grinned mischievously._

"_How about we just start with one, and see where we go from there?" She laughed as he took her hand and led her toward the staircase._

"_Fine," he sighed, trying to look disappointed. "I guess that just means more practice for us." Sakura gasped and playfully slapped his arm._

"_Uchiha Sasuke," she laughed, "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." She shook her head as he opened his mouth. "Don't say it!" she giggled. "I don't even want to know."_

"_Come on," Sasuke chuckled, "Let me show you the upstairs." He put his arm around her as they walked up the steps that led to the second floor._

* * *

Sakura rubbed her eyes wearily as she leaned out the window sill of her bedroom and let the cool September morning breeze whisk across her face. She peered at the illuminated clock on the bedside table and sighed. 

It was only 5:47 in the morning. The village was still quiet and undisturbed as everyone else in its vicinity continued to rest peacefully. The only hint of the impending sunrise was a slight tinge of pink that had crept along the horizon of trees.

Sakura stretched her neck and gazed down the street, longing for any sign of movement or life. It was always the night she feared the most; the brief moments after sunset, the long hours of darkness, and the following seconds before the sunrise. It was a breeding ground for grief, sorrow, regret. Every time she was visited by the dreams, she woke up the next morning, wondering how she had ever survived the night.

Despite what the house she leaned against meant to her and the love it symbolized, she needed to get out of it. She couldn't stay within its walls much longer, not while the dark still threatened to call her demons forth to haunt her once more. She opened the drawer to her small armoire and pulled a pair of sweat pants. She was going running.

* * *

Sakura let her heavy footsteps pound into the pavement as she jogged along the main road through Konoha. The shops and stores were still closed, their available merchandise sitting motionless behind the glass windows. Her breath grew heavy as she pushed her self a little faster, and she wiped at the trickle of sweat that had run down her temple. 

Off in the distance, she spotted the figure of a slouching Jounin strolling down the side walk in the same direction as she was running. She recognized that sad excuse for a posture. It was Kakashi.

She picked up her pace as the distance closed between them, but he seemed unaware of the kunoichi racing toward him. He was busy reading his Icha Icha Paradise, his visible black eye skimming the pages.

Sakura shook her head at the Copy Ninja's obsession with the series of prurient books. She was not proud to admit that she had once read one of the little orange books, but she had found nothing in it worth her fascination.

She circled once around Kakashi as he continued to walk, and he finally glanced up at her. She gave a little wave and pointed at the book.

"Anything interesting happening in your book?" Sakura smiled slyly at Kakashi as she returned to his side and walked in time with his own steps. His eye crinkled as he smiled beneath his mask and raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked, "Would you like to read it sometime?" He held the book out in her direction, but Sakura shook her head. She kept her emerald eyes on the Copy Ninja as he shrugged and tucked the book back in his pocket.

"What are you doing out so early in the morning?" Sakura studied him as he scratched his head.

"Nothing," he said, "just taking a walk. It's nice sometimes just to be out in the quiet." He surveyed the kunoichi beside him. "I heard you clomping down the street from a mile away," he teased.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him and smiled. "Then why didn't you turn around and say hi?"

"I knew you'd spot me sooner or later," he explained, "so I figured I'd just wait until you caught up."

"In other words," Sakura said, "You were being lazy." Kakashi put a hand over his heart as if offended and then laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said. They walked another block in silence, just enjoying being in each other's company. After a while, Kakashi cleared his throat.

"It's been a while since I've seen you," he said. "I miss your scrambled eggs in the morning." Sakura chuckled and shook her head.

"I've been really busy at the hospital. It seems like everyone going out on a mission these past few weeks is coming back injured." She sighed. "So I've had to train some new medical recruits to work on the shifts. I'm just glad I have today and tomorrow off." She tucked a strand of hair that had fallen out of her tight ponytail back behind her ear.

"I totally understand," Kakashi sympathized. "They've had everyone, including me, working like dogs." A sudden idea came to his mind. "Hey," he said. Sakura turned her head to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"I've got a mission today," he said, "but I should be back before six. If you're not busy, how about we get together and go out for some dinner." He pointed to one of the restaurants they were passing. "My treat."

Sakura smiled gratefully at the Copy Ninja, and then frowned. "I would if I could," she said. "It'd be nice to catch up, but I sort of made plans already."

"Oh," Kakashi said. Sakura held up her hands and smiled.

"Yeah, Tenten and Neji are going to be out on missions tonight, so they asked me to watch the baby for them. Sorry," she said.

Kakashi nodded his understanding at the situation. Actually, he felt quite relieved for some reason to find out Sakura would only be babysitting Mayu, the couple's 13 month old baby girl. He had thought for a moment that she had made plans for a real date.

"Why don't you come over when you finish that mission, though? You can keep me company," she suggested. Kakashi thought it over and smiled.

"Are you sure it'll be alright with Tenten and Neji?"

"I'll give them a call and clear it with them. Besides," she said, "I heard you're one heck of a babysitter; all the kids seem to love you."

"What can I say?" He sighed. "I'm a man of many talents." Sakura smiled and held out a hand for Kakashi to shake.

"Alright then," she laughed, "It's a date. See you tonight," she said. Kakashi gave a little wave as the roseate kunoichi picked up her pace and started jogging down the street again.

_What if,_ Kakashi thought to himself, and then abruptly shook his head. He wasn't going to even consider the idea that had popped into his mind. He pulled his issue of Icha Icha Paradise back out and found the place he had left off. He took one last look at Sakura as she turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

* * *

Thanks for taking the time to read! It really means a lot. As always, questions, comments, and helpful hints can be directed to the review section. Thanks again! 

Temari08


	6. A Sweet Dream on A Konoha Lullaby

Hello again. I'd just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read and review. The eight reviews that are currently visible will be responded to at the bottom of the page. You guys rock!

Moving on : ) Here is the next chapter of the story. Enjoy!

* * *

"Damn it," Kakashi muttered under his breath as he looked at the clock on his wall. The small hand was already moving towards the eight, and the big hand had just rounded the six. 

It was 7:30 already.

He had promised to meet Sakura at the Hyuuga apartment an hour and a half ago. He cursed again at the bad habit he had picked up over the years of being late.

After he switched off the lights, Kakashi pulled on a muscle shirt and grabbed a loose-fitting long sleeve shirt from the closet. He hastily jogged over to the door and locked it behind him.

As he raced down the street he stuck his arm into the sleeves of the black shirt, but he left it unbuttoned. Despite the fact that it was already September and the nights were usually cool, this particular evening had been doused in a startling humidity. He flapped the shirt open and closed as he tried to circulate some air around his body.

Kakashi rolled the sleeves up to the elbows as he turned the corner onto the final road. He could see the apartment now; the lights shone brightly from the second story windows where Sakura would be waiting. He took the steps three at a time and knocked on the door when he reached the top.

Kakashi could here quiet footsteps approaching the door. Soon the lock clicked and the door slowly opened. Kakashi had to smile beneath his mask as he took in the picture before him.

Sakura stood in the door frame of light, sporting a red spaghetti-strapped top, stained with a dribble of what looked like baby food, as well as a pair of simple ebony board shorts. Her dainty feet were bare, and her hair was pulled up in a loose knot, wisps of bubblegum strands having fallen out over the course of the evening. She held a little girl in one arm, supporting the infant on her hip. Her other arm was preoccupied with holding the door open.

"It's about time," Sakura said.

Kakashi grinned apologetically and scratched his head. _Here it comes_, he thought. Sakura was usually one of the kindest people you'd ever meet. But in her training, Tsunade had not only passed on her greatest ninja skills to her roseate student. Sakura had also inherited the Godaime's raging temper. After spending years under the tutelage of Tsunade, Sakura, too, had become infamous for her spitfire fury that would surface every once in a while.

She glared at Kakashi a moment, then broke down and smiled. "I was going to try and make you feel bad for being late, but I can't do it." She laughed as Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief, and she stepped out of the way so Kakashi could come inside. She closed the door behind them and led him into the living room.

The little girl in Sakura's arms peered over her carrier's shoulder at the Copy Ninja, her big silver eyes fixed on his hidden face. She smiled wide, revealing her tiny baby teeth. "Mask," she said, reaching her hands out at Kakashi. Sakura looked back over her shoulder and laughed.

"I guess she wants you," Sakura said. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Sure, I guess I can do that." He stretched his arms out as Sakura handed the baby over. The infant giggled and stared up at Kakashi, fingering the silky material on his face. "What did I tell you," he said to Sakura, "Women can't resist the mask."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she went into the kitchen. "Yeah," she called out to him, "only because it looks so silly." She stuck her head back out the doorway and looked at the Copy Ninja. "You like chicken fricassee? Because that's what I made for dinner."

Kakashi responded, "Yeah, that's fine." He sat down carefully on the couch and positioned Mayu right beside him. He grabbed a translucent miniature beach ball with bouncing bells inside off of the coffee table and held it over the baby's head. For the moment her eyes were more concerned with the round jingling object above her instead of Kakashi's mask.

Sakura came back out of the kitchen with a plate of steaming food and a cup of iced tea in her hands. She watched Kakashi's interactions with the infant, slightly surprised by his child handling abilities.

"I never pictured Hatake Kakashi as the model babysitter," she said. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, his eye crinkled.

"There are many secrets you do not know about me," he assured her. Sakura laughed and shook her head.

"Yeah, that's for sure." She handed the plate to Kakashi and set the glass on the table. "Okay, let's see if you can watch Mayu and eat at the same time while I go get my plate." She sauntered back into the kitchen.

Kakashi turned to the little girl beside him and whispered, "We'll show her, won't we?" Mayu gurgled her amusement to the Copy Ninja as she watched him slip his mask down and devour the food on his plate in a matter of seconds. Mayu giggled and clapped her hands together, purely entertained by the spectacle going on before her very eyes.

Kakashi pulled his mask up just as Sakura came back through the doorway and took a seat on the other side of Mayu. She glanced curiously at the delighted infant bouncing on the couch, then Kakashi, and then the empty plate that he held in his hand. Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized what was going on.

"Aw, no fair," she laughed, "I've known you for almost ten years and I've never even gotten a glimpse of what's under that mask. And her," Sakura said, pointing toward Mayu, "she just met you almost ten minutes ago, and she's already seen more of your face than I ever did." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and winked at the babbling baby.

"Yeah," he said, "but she won't remember it by the time she grows up, and she can't tell you what I look like." Sakura punched his arm lightly and he raised his hands in self defense.

"Hey," he protested, chuckling softly, "Don't worry; you'll get you day, too. I promise," he said as he placed his hand over his chest and gazed at Sakura sincerely.

"Yeah yeah," she smirked, "Just make sure you don't go and get yourself killed or anything on one of your missions. If you do I'll curse your spirit for as long as I live."

"Deal," he said. "If you don't get the chance to see my face before I die, then you can damn me to hell for all eternity." He folded his arms, obviously satisfied by the pact they had made. Sakura shushed him and tried her best to frown at him.

"First of all," she scolded, "You shouldn't talk that way about your own soul; you just might get what you wish for. Secondly," she paused to put her plate down and pick up Mayu, "If her Mommy and Daddy come home and hear her speaking the words she's heard tonight, well, you can guess where _I'm_ going."

Kakashi chuckled and looked warmly upon the woman and child. Sakura looked so natural, holding the infant against her own petite body and letting the tiny hand wrap around one of her fingers. She would have been a wonderful mother if she and Sasuke had been able to have children. Kakashi reached out a hand to squeeze Sakura's shoulder.

"You know," he said, "I bet you'd make a great mom." Sakura looked up from the baby, a melancholy smile on her face.

"Yeah," she sighed, "that's what Sasuke would tell me all the time, too." She laughed quietly. "Of course," she added, "I don't know how I would have been with all the kids he wanted. He told me he wanted _six_."

Kakashi shook his head and grinned. "That's crazy," he said. "But then again, one woman I know had seven kids; one right after the other. One day I asked her how she managed to take care of them all, and she just looked at me like I was an imbecile. 'Why,' she said, 'having seven is just like having one: you're always busy, always tired, and always up to your elbows in dirty diapers.' So I don't know; I guess it just depends on the person." He shrugged his shoulders skeptically.

"Well," Sakura concluded, "If having one is like having seven, than I'd just stick with the one, thank you very much." She glanced back down at the baby and exhaled softly.

"Oh crud," she said suddenly. She peered at her watch and frowned. "I'm supposed to put her to bed soon; Mayu's on a 'very strict schedule,' as Neji explained to me. Oh, and he said that Tenten usually sings to her, so singing is the only way to get her to sleep." Sakura eyed the Copy Ninja and smiled. "Say," she said, "You wouldn't happen to sing? I mean, since you're a man with such diversified talents."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "What's the matter?" He laughed. "Don't tell me you can't sing."

"_Me_? _Sing_?" Sakura stared at him in astonishment. "Kakashi-sensei, I need a bucket just to carry a tune."

"All right then," he chortled, "hand her over." However, Sakura wrapped her arms around the infant.

"But I wanted to rock her to sleep," she pretended to pout.

"But I thought you couldn't sing," he teased.

"Yeah, but I still want to hold her," Sakura explained.

"Then how am I supposed to sing to her?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Sakura thought for a moment, "We could rock her together. What do you say?" She looked up at Kakashi with pleading eyes.

He chortled and slid over on the couch. "Fine, we'll rock her to sleep _together_." He placed an arm around Sakura and another under Mayu. After a moment of readjusting their positions, Kakashi asked, "Is everybody nice and comfy?"

"Yep," Sakura replied. Mayu tugged at Kakashi's mask again and he laughed. "Go ahead. Work your magic," Sakura said, looking up at the Copy Ninja. Kakashi cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to sing.

Sakura smiled as she listened to Kakashi's deep voice resonate with one of the village's oldest fairytales in the form of a lullaby. She had never heard Kakashi sing before, and while he was no Frank Sinatra, he wasn't too shabby, either.

She laid her head of bubblegum tresses against his chest and watched Mayu's eyes droop closed before she felt her own do the same. She noticed how warm Kakashi's skin was against her own and the emphatic, even pulse of his heart as it kept time with the song.

The lullaby weaved the tale of a very melancholy princess inside Sakura's mind. One day, the princess met a ninja who saved her from a group of bandits. After a while the princess found her herself in love with her mysterious hero, but she was still very sad because she was supposed to marry another person; a prince she had never even met. When the two finally did meet, she discovered that the ninja she had come to care for was actually the prince all along. In the end they got married and lived happily ever after.

Sakura's mind floated away on the voice singing in her ear. She saw a man and woman standing under a gazebo decorated in flowers. The man was dressed in a well made suit, and the woman was adorned in a flowing dress. They smiled at each other, this roseate princess bride and her handsome groom.

Although she could only see the back of his head, Sakura could tell the silver-haired man must have been very attractive. She watched the man tilt the woman's chin up and gently kiss her. Sakura smiled as the people in the crowd clapped lightly from their seats in the hazy surroundings. Soon the fog swirled into the scene she was observing, and she drifted into slumber.

Kakashi sighed gently after he sang the last verse of the song. He glanced down and saw the two beauties resting peacefully in his arms. He forced himself to suppress a laugh as he watched them sleep.

Sakura shifted her body slightly as she slept, drawing her face into the smooth curve of Kakashi's neck. Her hand involuntarily reached up to the collar of his shirt and tugged at it as she inhaled the scent of skin.

"Hmm…" Sakura mumbled from somewhere far away in her dream. Kakashi tilted his head so that he could hear her words. She was talking in her sleep.

"Kakashi-sensei," she murmured, "It smells… it smells like eucalyptus here."

"That's my cologne you smell," he whispered softly. Sakura's nose nuzzled his skin. She sighed.

"I like the scent," she murmured. "It's nice."

"Yeah," Kakashi whispered as he softly caressed the sleeping face. "It sure is." He leaned his head forward and kissed the kunoichi's forehead. He decided to stay there, just like that, for the time being. It was nice being there.

* * *

Thanks for reading. As I promised, here are my responses to the reviews. Stay tuned! 

Iamitachi: I'm glad you like it : )

AznNarutoGrl-91: Thanks! And yeah, I like scrambled eggs, so I figure hey, why not include them in the story? They're awesome with some A-1 Sauce : p

MommyRogers: Thank you : ) That's one of the things my teachers have always praised about my writing.

Angel: I already sent one : )

Tami: Thank you so much! I probably should have researched a bit when I wrote that section. I always get Strep Throat, and when I go to the doctor they do one of those swab tests on me, and it takes like five minutes to see if you test positive for the bacteria. But I guess that doesn't tell you the strain. Also, I feel like such a dope about the word confusion. My apologies, and thank you for pointing it out . I'll make sure to change it : )

Afiag: Yeah, I know the story has been lacking in that department. XD Don't worry, though; all in good time.


	7. Girl Talk

Hi guys. I meant to get this chapter out sooner. I had it finished on Tuesday, but for some odd reason I was unable to log on. And then, life got unbelievabley busy Tuesday night and Wednesday. All I can say is that my family is crazy. Moving on, here is chapter seven. Enjoy!

* * *

Ino sat cross-legged on her bed with a magazine in her lap, an ink pen firmly grasped in one hand. She would circle something on the page every few seconds, bring the pen up to her lips when she contemplated it, and scribble some notes before starting the process all over again. Sakura lay on the lush cerulean carpet beside the bed, arms tucked behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. 

"What do you think of this one?" Ino held the magazine over the side of the bed for Sakura to see. Sakura shook her head.

"No."

"Okay then, how about this one?" Ino flipped the page and held it back out.

"No, I don't like that color." Ino's temple twitched slightly as she realized the roseate kunoichi had not even looked at the page. She stuck her head forward to study Sakura's face.

"Sakura, are you listening to me?"

"No."

"Aha!" Ino pointed an accusing finger in triumph. "Sakura, you haven't paid attention to a word I've said!"

Sakura stared at her blonde haired friend and shrugged. "You should have known better than to ask me to help you pick out a new dress; you know I hate shopping."

Ino jumped down to the floor and got uncomfortably close to Sakura. She observed the roseate kunoichi suspiciously with a critical blue eye. "You've been sitting there all afternoon with that stupid daze. I think it's more than that. I think you're hiding something from me."

"And I think you've lost it," Sakura said flatly. She sat up and tried to nudge away, but Ino moved even closer.

"I went by your apartment the other night to see if you wanted to go to a party with me," Ino said. "Where were you?"

"Wait a second," Sakura interjected, "Why were you going to a party?"

Ino smirked and brushed her shoulder off. "Because," she explained, "I broke up with Chouji again."

"_Again_?" Sakura gaped at Ino in shock and shook her head sympathetically as she pictured the heartbroken Jounin.

Over the last few years, Chouji had slimmed down a bit and had become quite handsome. By that time, Ino had developed an infatuation with the timid ninja, and they started dating. Chouji was obviously crazy about the blue-eyed kunoichi, so Ino had the poor guy wrapped around her finger. However, Ino could be quite demanding; this was the hundredth time she had "broken off" the relationship.

Ino shrugged. "He took my last piece of chicken at dinner."

Sakura clicked her tongue in disappointment. "You're ruthless."

"Oh, don't worry; I'm going to go see him after I leave here," Ino said, pushing the issue aside. "But we're supposed to be talking about you." She fixed her eyes on Sakura. "What were you up to that night?"

Sakura sighed, "Alright. But if I tell you what happened, then you can't say anything to anyone. It's really no big deal. I was with Kakashi-"

Suddenly, Ino jumped up and squealed, cutting Sakura off in mid sentence. "Oooh," she cried, "I knew it was a man! But Kakashi of all people! I mean, not that there's anything wrong with older guys…" Ino continued to ramble on as Sakura's face blushed profusely. She started to repeat Ino's name in an attempt to gain her friend's attention until she was on the verge of yelling.

"Ino."

"…you have to admit there's something about him…"

"Ino."

"…he's so mysterious with that mask…"

"Ino."

"...it's kind of sexy actually…"

"Ino!" Sakura glared at the young woman beside her.

"What?" Ino stared at Sakura knowingly, as if there was nothing else to tell. Sakura glowered at her and shook her head.

"You didn't let me finish," Sakura said through clenched teeth. She took a breath as she tried to regain her composure. "Okay; I was supposed to baby sit Mayu last night, and Kakashi came to keep me company. He gets there and we eat dinner and talk for a while; it was like I was hanging out with you." She pointed to her blonde friend.

"Well, the time comes for Mayu to go to sleep, so I tell Kakashi that she won't sleep unless someone sings to her. Now, I was just trying to mess around with him; I didn't think he'd actually take me seriously. But we start rocking Mayu together, and he ends up singing. Mayu and I both passed out, and that's about it."

She thought briefly of telling Ino about the dream she'd had as well but decided against it. She knew Ino would take it the wrong way. She kept her mouth shut as she waited for Ino to respond.

Ino stared blankly at the roseate kunoichi. She folded her arms and tilted her head. "Sakura," she said flatly, "that is the lamest thing I have ever heard."

"It was not _lame_," Sakura retorted, and then laughed. "Yeah, okay; it was a little silly," she admitted, "but it's the honest truth."

Ino grinned as a thought came to her mind. "Listen," she said, "I don't think I could get Chouji to even pull that one off; and he'd probably jump off a bridge just for me. Oh, wait; he already has." Ino giggled as she recalled the memory.

The two kunoichi sat in silence for a moment. Sakura sighed.

"So, what does it mean?" Sakura whispered, gazing at her friend. Ino peered up at her with eyes that were surprisingly soft and warm.

"Well," she said, "Even if it was cheesy, it sounds… kind of romantic." She paused and thought for a minute. "He must really like you."

"Well, I know he likes me," Sakura said. "I'm a very amiable person." Ino shook her head and sighed.

"No," she asserted, "He _really_ likes you." Sakura blushed and looked away.

"Don't be silly. Even if he did, you have to look at the circumstances. He's fourteen years older than me. He used to be my sensei; I even still call him sensei."

"So what?"

Sakura took a breath. "Y-you can't be serious," she said as she glanced at Ino.

"I'm very serious," Ino assured her. She watched as Sakura fidgeted slightly and rubbed her hands together, an indication that the roseate kunoichi was getting nervous.

"Ino, even if you're right," Sakura said, "I don't know if I could do it." She sighed. "I mean, you know how it was," her voice dropped to a whisper, "Sasuke is the only man I've ever been with, and…"

"And he's gone, Sweetie," Ino said quietly. She put an arm around Sakura's shoulder. "Look, I'm not saying you should become a swinging bachelorette," she cooed, "but maybe you should start thinking about something other than that hospital. Two years is a long time for anyone to be…"

"I'm not just anyone," Sakura scowled, cutting her off. Ino shook her head.

"Just give it some thought, okay?" She looked at Sakura with her piercing blue eyes. "If Kakashi does make his interests obvious, then you should go along with it. See where you end up. It wouldn't hurt to open up a little more."

"H-he… He asked me out to dinner this Friday. It's his birthday," Sakura murmured, her face slightly flushed.

"That's the 15th, right?" Ino stared inquisitively at the roseate kunoichi. "Sakura," she said hurriedly, "It's already Sunday."

"I know," Sakura admitted as Ino gaped at her. Then, Ino's face lit up, and she placed a firm hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"What are you going to wear?" Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Have you decided how you're going to do your hair?" Sakura shook her head.

"No."

"Well then why are you sitting here with me? You're the one who should be looking for a dress," Ino squealed. She grabbed Sakura's hand and tugged her onto her feet.

"What are we doing?" Sakura stared fearfully at her friend. Ino grinned wickedly.

"We are going shopping for your _date_," Ino teased as she pulled Sakura toward the door.

Sakura's face paled to a ghostly white. "We don't have to do that. First of all, it's not a date; and second, I thought you were going to see Chouji."

Ino waved her hand at Sakura's excuses. She grabbed her purse. "No," she said, "First of all, it is _so_ a date; and second, Chouji can wait. He'll understand."

Sakura stared helplessly at the firm hand grasping her own. She decided to not fight it. Once Ino's determination was set, it was like attempting to knock down the ultimate barricade with a single stone: Ino would still stand as strong as the day was long, and whoever objected to her undertaking would be left sitting there, feeling like a complete idiot for even trying.

* * *

As long as everything goes according to plans, chapter eight will be out within the next day or two. I had kind of hit a writer's block, and then I got this brilliant idea! I had to write it down on a napkin so I wouldn't forget it. I just need a little time to formulate how to introduce it. I feel a war brewing... 

Anyways, thanks for reading and responding. I'll post some more of my own responses to reviews. They are truly an inspiration and help me decide how to continue the story. Thanks again!

bijou: Thanks : ) I know what you mean. I thought it would be cute, and it is; but after I posted it I was kind of like _oh crap. _Still, I'm glad everyone likes it. And see? You're review kind of altered how I took on this chapter.

chocmilkchan: I don't know of many Japanese dishes, but I do love chicken fricasse; so there you have it : ) I'm glad you like it XD

Faery: I understand. It was kind of harsh, and I didn't even take that into account. Hmm... you just gave me an idea, though. Thanks!

Afiag: Thanks :) And yeah, I felt like it's a bit lacking, but the flachbacks kind of add to her inner struggles, I guess. I'm not sure what I mean, actually XD

aNgeLoFdArknEssmaRie-chAn: No problem : ) I plan to write another story eventually, but plot ideas for future stories are always welcomed. I might do one on Yondaime. We'll see, hehe.

optionxx1: Yeah, I'm dorky and love fluffy stuff, so I figured I'd throw that in. Thanks : )


	8. The Birthday Kiss

Hi everybody! I meant for this chapter to come out sooner, but there have been some technical difficulties on the site. So, here is chapter eight. Enjoy!

* * *

Sakura took one last look in the full length mirror as the door bell rang. It was 7:00 in the evening on a Friday. She knew Kakashi would be waiting at the door for her. It was his birthday. 

She took in the reflection staring back at her and smiled in an attempt to quell the nervousness that sat writhing in her stomach. It failed.

Sakura wasn't worried that she looked terrible. Even though she already possessed a natural attractiveness that earned her admiring glances, Ino had known just what to do to accent and enhance those features. Under the blond kunoichi's critical eyes, Sakura had turned into a "knockout," as Ino worded it.

The first place they had visited Monday morning was the hair salon. Ino had adamantly declared that Sakura was not allowed to wear her hair up. When Sakura had protested, Ino had scolded her.

She could still hear her friend's commanding voice as she pushed the roseate kunoichi into the spinning chair. "You always have that hair up in a bun, or a pony tail, or clips, or braids. Not this time, Sakura. Hair like yours should be left down."

Now, the trimmed bubblegum tresses were left unbound. The bangs were styled into light, feathery wisps. While the majority of her hair fell down her back, a few soft strands rested lightly on the delicately exposed neckline.

The roseate kunoichi wore a crimson dress of softly crushed cloth that sat elegantly on her shoulders and ended just before her knees. The material gently hugged the curves of her small body. Ino had personally picked out the dress for the safe but revealing cut of it. A thin, black lace bow tumbled down over the simple flowery pattern that adorned the bodice.

The only thing Sakura did have a say on were the simple thong sandals on her feet. Ino had been there only an hour earlier fussing over everything else, especially Sakura's face. While she had planned to go without make up, Ino had rushed over to the roseate kunoichi's house, beauty kit in tow, when she had heard the last minute news.

With an expert hand, Ino applied a warm shade of gloss to the full lips that brought out the darker tones of Sakura's bubblegum locks. A light addition of mascara accentuated the emerald eyes framed by the thick eyelashes. A touch of blush had also been applied to the porcelain cheeks and gave the kunoichi a rosy glow.

Ino had stood in awe at the transformed young woman before her. It was here in that Sakura realized the problem. If she could stop Ino in her tracks, she tried to imagine what the rest of Konoha would do, especially Hatake Kakashi.

Sakura took a deep breath as she picked up the petite hand purse resting on the counter and slipped Kakashi's wrapped gift into it. Tugging at every last ounce of nerve she possessed, the roseate kunoichi walked towards the door.

* * *

Kakashi was reading his favorite copy of Icha Icha Paradise when he heard the door click once as it opened and again as it slowly closed shut behind the now stationary figure only a few feet away. 

Sakura felt her chest tighten as she looked over the man before her. Kakashi leaned against the cool wall of the house, beneath the shade of the porch's roof. His white dress shirt hung loose on his muscled frame in a very appealing manner, as did the dark blue jeans on his lower half. The collar of the shirt was left unbuttoned, exposing the silver chain of his dog tags and the tanned skin beneath it. A dark jacket was slung over his shoulder.

His silvery hair was spiked out in a tame manner for once. Sakura suspected the Copy Ninja had finally gotten around to brushing the mop of hair on his head, and the thought brought forth a soft smile from the kunoichi. He had opted to forgo the Konoha forehead protector that usually hid his Sharingan. However, he still wore the same silky black mask over the majority of his face. _Go figure_, Sakura thought to herself. She took a breath and stepped forward.

"Happy Birthday," Sakura said quietly as Kakashi's eyes still roamed the page. He finished reading the last line before delicately folding the page and snapping the book shut. As he moved to tuck the book into his pants' pocket, Kakashi looked up.

In the quiet evening of Konoha, the loud sound of an object slamming against the ground echoed through the street. Hatake Kakashi had done the unbelievable. He had let his Icha Icha Paradise book, not just any copy, but his _favorite_ copy, fall from his grasp onto the hard wooden deck beneath him. He didn't seem to notice, though, and made no move to pick it up.

His gaze was fixed on the young woman standing before him. She blushed at the intensity of his staring eyes, and after a moment she reached down for the book. She held it out to Kakashi and he hesitated a moment before glancing down at it. Finally he reached out to grab the book.

"Thank you."

Sakura felt the blood rush to her cheeks as Kakashi's gaze lingered on her a moment longer. She ran a hand up her arm and looked at the ground. "What's the matter?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

Kakashi shook his head. "Nothing. I was just surprised."

"Ino gave me some tips," she said. Sakura turned in a circle for Kakashi. "Do I look okay?"

"Sakura," Kakashi said, "You look… beautiful." Sakura blushed an even deeper shade of red.

"I'm sorry," Sakura murmured, "It's just I don't do this very often…" Kakashi waved the words away.

"Don't worry about it," he said. Sakura tried her best to put on a smile. She gazed up at Kakashi.

"Well then," she said, trying to sound more confident, "Let's go." Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the Copy Ninja's hand to lead him down the walkway. After a moment she paused and let his hand go. Kakashi came to stand beside her so he could see her face in the dying light.

"Wait," he said, "It's alright." Kakashi reached out, and Sakura felt his hand seize her own in a steady grasp. He gave a soft squeeze of encouragement. Sakura glanced down at their hands, then the Copy Ninja. His eyes were crinkled from his hidden grin as he started to move forward. Sakura matched her footsteps to his as they reached the street.

After a moment, Sakura found herself smiling back up at him as they walked down the street.

"I love this place," Kakashi said as he held out a chair for Sakura. She sat down and allowed him to push her chair towards the table.

"Thanks," she said as Kakashi took his own seat next to her. She took the menu from the waiter and began to skim it. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the prices of each dish. This place was expensive.

"Have you ever been here before?" Sakura glanced up and smiled at the Copy Ninja's question.

"No, actually," she said, "I didn't even know this place existed." Sakura ran the short trip from her house to the restaurant back through her head, but had trouble recalling the winding route through the alleys and pathways. It had been dark, and he had been holding her hand, after all.

Kakashi chuckled quietly. "Yeah," he said, "it's a pretty private place." He waved a hand at the surrounding area.

Sakura looked up from the menu and took a moment to observe the room. The candles in their thin black stands here and there about the room were the only source of light. Even so, Sakura could make out the fine tiles that graced the floor, the golden hue of the painted walls, and the cranberry curtains that hung from doorways and windows. There were only four other tables in their particular section when it could have easily fit fifteen. Sakura glanced at Kakashi as he continued to peruse the menu.

"I know what you're thinking," he said. Sakura blushed and closed her mouth she had just opened. Kakashi gazed up at her, his ebony eye and crimson Sharingan watching her face. "Don't even look at the prices. You are here as my guest, celebrating my birthday."

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "You think you know me so well." Kakashi shrugged.

"If you mean well enough to know that you would slip all the money in your purse over to the waiter on your first trip to the bathroom, then yeah," he grinned, "I guess I do." Sakura reached for her purse.

"Okay," she said, "then this'll blow your socks off." She reached inside the purse and pulled out a small box wrapped in sapphire paper and tied up in a silver bow. She set it down in front of Kakashi.

"What's this?" Kakashi eyed the box.

"It's a present. If I can't pay for my part of the bill, then you at least have to take this," Sakura reasoned as she pushed the box closer to him.

"Alright." Kakashi pulled at the shiny ribbon.

"I went to see Jiraiya a few weeks ago, him being the great ninja that he is, and asked him to make a present just for you. It's the only one of its kind." Kakashi glanced up at Sakura as he removed the paper. All that was left now was the box.

Kakashi tore the tape away and slowly opened the top. He pulled out an item wrapped up in white stuffing paper. He ripped the white sheets away. His eyes widened as he stared at the cover of the book he held in his left hand.

"S-Sakura…" Kakashi whispered as he stared at the gift in awe. It was a copy of Icha Icha Paradise, but the front read "Special Addition: To Hatake Kakashi on His Birthday; Love, the Amazingly Beautiful Pink-Haired Kunoichi Sakura." He chuckled quietly as he finished reading the title.

"Oh," she said, "He added that last bit all by himself." She watched the Copy Ninja's face for a reaction. He looked up at her with shining eyes.

"This is the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you," he said.

Sakura nodded her head and smiled. "I'm glad you like it." Just then, Kakashi spotted the waiter eyeing their table. Kakashi waved him over.

"Do you like wine?" Kakashi looked intently as Sakura as she shrugged.

"I really don't drink too much," she said, feeling slightly silly that she was twenty one already and had only consumed three or four alcoholic beverages since she had reached the eighteen-year-old age limit.

"Would you like to try some, then?" Sakura could see Kakashi was smiling at her own comment about her alcohol intake. She blushed slightly and thought about it for a moment. Finally, she nodded.

"Good evening," the waiter said in an eloquent voice. "Have you had enough time to view the menu?" Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"Yes, I believe we have."

* * *

Two people walked down the quiet street guided solely by the midnight sky. There was no moon out tonight, and the stars twinkled from their lonely posts in the vast darkness. Sakura stared up at them sympathetically. She was not alone. Kakashi walked beside her. 

The Copy Ninja and the roseate kunoichi strolled arm in arm down the road. It was Kakashi who had suggested taking the long way to walk Sakura home, and she could hardly refuse him. They walked in silence now, having stopped speaking a while ago; it was peaceful just to be in one another's company there in the quiet of the night.

A breath of wind passed across the village starting from the west, finally reaching the couple on the eastern road. It was the first true sign of a break in the longstanding weather of summer. Autumn was finally on its way. Sakura shivered slightly as the cool chill passed through her. She felt the goose bumps rise on her exposed skin and futilely tried to shake it off. Kakashi glanced down at her.

"Are you cold?" He leaned sideways to whisper in the kunoichi's ear. The warmth of his breath against her skin caused her to tremble again and Kakashi chuckled. "Sorry," he whispered, sending a chill through her once more.

"It's okay," Sakura murmured, "It's nice, actually." But Kakashi had already removed the jacket from his own body and draped it around Sakura. She moved closer to Kakashi until their sides touched, and he wrapped an arm around her. The heat radiated from both his jacket and body, and, along with the two glasses of wine she'd had at the restaurant, brought a slight flush to her cheeks. She was happy for the darkness that surrounded them.

All too soon they were at her street, then her mailbox, then her doorstep. They stood on the porch for a minute, and Sakura stared at the light glowing from the taller buildings at the center of the village. They would stay on into the early morning hours, when Sakura had already lay down to sleep. She inhaled a deep breath and found herself drowned in the scent of eucalyptus that trailed the Copy Ninja. The breath escaped in a heavy sigh and captured Kakashi's attention.

"Is anything wrong?" Sakura looked up to find his eyes fixed on her. One red and one black. She wondered how strange it was that she could make out the defining curves of those shining orbs, even when the night sky was devoid of proper light. She waved her hand in front of her face, but could barely distinguish it from the surroundings.

Sakura shook her head and laughed quietly. "No, but I think the drinks are getting to me. I can find you're eyes, but I can hardly see my own hand." She repeated the waving motion again, and Kakashi chuckled.

"It is kind of dark out here," he whispered to the silhouette of the roseate kunoichi.

"The porch light burned out the other day," Sakura whispered back. "I keep forgetting to change it."

"I'll come do it tomorrow," he replied. A moment of silence passed between them. Sakura gazed up at the face shrouded in shadows.

"Kakashi," Sakura murmured, leaving off the usual attachment of sensei when she called upon him. This did not go unnoticed by the Copy Ninja. He bent his head forward as two hands tugged at his shirt collar. Sakura whispered into his ear. "Since I can't see as it is, why don't you take off that silly mask for once?" Her voice no longer held the sound of teasing or laughter that usually ran through it when discussing the infamous piece of black silk. She was serious.

Kakashi remained silent for a moment. He smiled into the darkness. "How do I know this isn't some kind of trick?"

He felt Sakura's heated breath in his ear. "You should know me by now. I don't think I could lie to you, even if I wanted to." One of the hands released the collar and felt its way up the Copy Ninja's neck. Soon the fingers found the edge of the material resting on his cheek bone. One twisted into the rim of the mask. Kakashi made no move to stop her as Sakura pulled the silk material down.

Sakura squinted through the shadows, yet all she could distinguish in the dark was the outline of Kakashi's body and those eyes, the face still hidden from her sight. Sakura reached back up to the face again. She had to know it was real; that there was true substance behind the mask. Her fingertips search blindly through the darkness and finally landed on the face. The firm flesh of his cheek and the smooth skin of his jaw line slid beneath them. Then the trembling fingers discovered the simple curve of his mouth. Kakashi smiled against the fingers.

Kakashi felt Sakura's other hand tug at his collar once more; she was pulling him closer. Eyes closed, she tilted her head forward until she felt the back of her fingers on her own mouth. Kakashi's nose brushed against her cheek, and she knew she was exactly where she wanted to be.

"I just realized there was one more present I wanted to give you."

Sakura felt his calm breath as it blew against her lips. She hesitated. She knew what would happen if she moved any closer; what it would say to him; what it would mean to her. There was no turning back. One more tug, and everything would change.

She tugged.

Kakashi sensed the warmth of Sakura's mouth as it pressed gently to his. Acting on impulse, he traced a hand down her neck, past her shoulder, and placed it against the small of her back. He drew her closer and closer, until he felt the heat of her small body touching his chest.

Sakura's pulse surged from the sudden nearness, the physical contact of skin through clothing. She closed her eyes as Kakashi's lips brushed lightly against her own, and she melted into the warmth of the kiss. Her hands caressed the obscured face as they tried to memorize every curve. She wanted to remember it long after he was gone.

When Kakashi finally pulled his head away, he emitted a heavy breath into the air. Sakura buried her face into his chest, breathing onto his exposed skin. She listened to the rapid heartbeat below the flesh and wondered at what she had just done.

Kakashi removed his hand from her back and shifted as he pulled the mask up to his face once more. He tried to make out Sakura's features; what was he searching for? Fear? Embarrassment? Regret? Yet, he could find nothing in the darkness.

"Sakura," Kakashi murmured, brushing a strand of hair away from the kunoichi's cheek, "I lied back at the restaurant, when I told you that book was the best gift I'd ever gotten."

"So," Sakura pondered, "Then this one must be the best."

Kakashi chuckled. "How did you know?" He felt Sakura's body shrug.

"A lucky guess," Sakura whispered breathlessly as she smoothed out the collar she had held firmly crushed in her grasp only moments before. She closed her emerald eyes, trying to slow down her racing heart. Her stomach tightened as her mind and body clashed in the battle for control. She could ask him to stay, her body reasoned, just so she wouldn't have to be alone when the dreams returned to haunt her. She should tell him to leave, her mind urged, she wasn't ready for this.

_Don't you still love Sasuke?_

Finally, with that simple question resonating in her head, she backed away from Kakashi. She would have to be alone for one more night.

"It's late," Sakura murmured, searching in her purse for the house key. Kakashi nodded and stepped back, waiting for Sakura to open the door. The lock clicked and the door slid open.

"I should get going," Kakashi admitted as he turned away. But a hand grabbed his arm, and he glanced over his shoulder. Sakura stood in the doorway, a night light from the kitchen casting her into a dim glow. Her emerald eyes watched him.

"Thank you for tonight," she whispered. Her hand squeezed his arm, and she smiled. "Happy birthday, Kakashi." He nodded at the roseate kunoichi, a look of understanding in his mismatched eyes.

As the door clicked shut, Kakashi sighed and headed toward the street. He glanced back one last time at the Uchiha house. In an illuminated window from the second story bedroom, a silhouette was cast into the light. Sakura stood behind the glass, watching the Copy Ninja as he walked home.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Questions, comments, and helpful hints can be directed to the reviews section. Thanks again : ) 


	9. The First Time

Hey guys. Okay, here is the next chapter of the story. I got motivated again : ) Updates will slow down, though. School starts back up tomorrow, unfortunately. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. It makes me happy knowing people like the story! Okay, moving on... Enjoy!

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* * *

Sakura stood before the mirror hanging in the foyer of her new home, staring at the reflection. The woman in the mirror looked back, her face radiating an ethereal glow. Her emerald eyes were shining with tears of happiness._

_It was her wedding day. She had finally married the man she loved more than life itself. Sasuke belonged to her, and she belonged to him._

_The lovers had exchanged vows before friends and family earlier that day beneath the cherry blossom trees of Konoha. The delicate pink blossoms of spring had soared down from the heavens that day, dancing in whirlwinds of ribbons around the young man in black and woman in white. Sakura had been so beautiful, a blushing bride of eighteen. The audience had clapped and cheered as she kissed her new husband beneath the trees._

_The reception that followed lasted for several hours after the wedding. Sasuke had reserved a private party room for the event at one of the finest hotels in downtown Konoha. The traditional ceremonies were carried out once the bridal party arrived: the dances, the toasts, the cutting of the cake._

_Even when the bride and groom retired for the evening, the guests at the party had decided to continue on with the festivities. The music blared, the dancing commenced, and the alcohol flowed. It would be many more hours before the last of the guests had stumbled through the hotel lobby as they attempted to find their way home._

_The newlyweds decided to stay in their new house on the first night of their new life together. Sasuke had carried Sakura up the walkway and through the doorway, setting her on her feet in the foyer, then disappeared into the second story of the house. She had opted to stay right where she stood until he came looking for her. She had seen the look in his eyes before he disappeared up the staircase._

_Sakura placed a shaking palm over her racing heart as she realized the reason he had stared at her with such a startlingly fierce gaze. It was their wedding day._

_She started pulling the bobby pins from her bubblegum tresses which were swept into a sensational style as she tried to keep herself busy. Every few moments the metal pins would drop into the small bowl on the side table beneath the mirror. A pink tendril of hair would tumble down her back or shoulder, resting lightly against her porcelain skin. When there were no more pins left in her hair, she took a breath and closed her eyes. She listened to the rush of her pulse in her ears._

_When she opened her emerald eyes once more, Sakura gasped in surprise. Sasuke's reflection stood behind her own in the mirror. The corners of his mouth were curved ever so slightly into a smile, yet his face had never appeared so serious. He was staring at her with those onyx eyes, studying her. Her now ghostly pale image stared back at him. She glanced down at her folded arms as Sasuke's footsteps, almost silent on the wooden floor, approached her._

_She shivered at the heat of his body against her back, which only served to make her heart beat even faster. She felt one hand resting carefully on her hip. How did he do it? What was it that took her breath away? He'd always had that affect on her; it had always been so hard to say no before. Whenever he'd looked at her that way, like the day in the field of sunflowers, she'd asked him to wait. Until they were married. Until she was ready._

_His strong hand gently brushed her bubblegum locks away from her face, her neck. He planted a tender kiss on her cheek, then her jaw line, then here and there in a line along the curve of her neck until he reached the smooth shoulder exposed by the low cut of her snow white gown. Sakura closed her eyes and leaned back into Sasuke with every kiss, until she felt his firm chest against her back. She released her breath in a heavy sigh as twenty different emotions swelled within her. Excitement. Anticipation. Longing. Love. Fear._

_The fingers that had swept her hair away now traipsed along the skin of her back. They were feeling for something at the edge of the dress. When it was firmly in their grasp, Sakura felt a slight tug and the sound of a zipper sliding down. Sakura opened her startled eyes as the dress material surrounding her shoulders slowly sagged and slid down her arms._

_She caught the dress just before it had the chance to slip away from her bosom. She held it up with trembling arms and turned to face Sasuke._

_Sasuke stood before her. He had discarded the neck tie and black coat, and his white dress shirt had been untucked. The front was no longer buttoned, so the shirt now hung open, revealing the muscled chest and abdomen. His onyx eyes still gazed at her, possessing that expression of desire and passion that had always lain dormant. However, he no longer held it in check as he once had for her sake._

_She knew he would hold nothing back now. There was no reason for him to restrain, just as there was no reason for her to resist. He had patiently obeyed her wishes, for he loved her more than life itself. But he was still human. He was still a man._

_They were married. She should have been ready. It didn't matter now._

_She did not protest as he embraced, and then picked her up in his arms. She held tight to his neck as he carried her up the staircase to the bedroom. Their bedroom. She let the dress fall to the floor littered in rose petals as he set her down beside the bed. Their bed. She felt his eyes on her as she stood there in her simple undergown. She felt the flush of blood in her face. She would let him stare. He was her husband now._

_She watched him as he slipped the dress shirt from his shoulders, revealing his strong arms and body; the very same that had always protected her. There was no reason to be afraid. It was a first for him, too. She knew that he'd hold her close, caress her bear skin, and whisper sweet words into her ear. He wouldn't hurt her._

_They would be afraid together. They would learn together. She was ready. It didn't matter now._

* * *

Sakura sat straight up in the bed, knocking the covers away from her. Her entire body tingled with the warmth of his touch. He had been there. She swore it. He had to be. She ripped the covers from the bed to find nothing. She slammed the bathroom door open, hoping to see him standing there, but only met her lonely reflection in the mirror. 

She was alone. _No._

She was always alone. _No_.

He really was dead. _No_.

How could he have been there? _Damn it!_

The sound of impact rang through the silence of the house. Sakura's chest heaved as her face creased tight with pain. Her fist was slammed into the bathroom mirror. The ring of cracks in the reflecting surface etched farther and farther from the place of the collision. The rectangular sheet crumbled into a thousand shards and fell in a single wave. The bits and pieces of mirror chinked and tinkled against the porcelain sink.

Sakura pulled her hand back to her chest as she flipped on the light. Blood trickled down from her knuckles and dripped onto her nightgown. She held her face with her uninjured hand and sighed again and again, until she felt her breathing return to normal. She stared at the blood as it ran down her fingertips, threatening to fall to the floor. She went to the hallway closet and pulled out the first aid kit. She trudged down the stairs and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

A kettle of hot water heated up on the stove as Sakura cleaned the wound on her hand. She flinched every few minutes as she picked out several shards from her flesh with fine tweezers. She studied the marred hand and shook her head. She couldn't believe her own actions. There had been other times where she had pounded the pillows flat and flailed her fists against the mattress. But this time was different; the dream was so real. It had gotten out of control. 

She rubbed wearily at her tired eyes as she wondered what had caused this dream, of all dreams, to visit her tonight. She knew why. It was because of Kakashi. It was because she kissed him. Her mind was taking revenge for her body's rebellion. Defiance could not be tolerated. She had to be reminded of the man she had loved first, even if he was gone.

That was why she had punched the mirror. It was a last resort of the body. Smash the soul and break the grasp.

Sakura pulled out the bandages and started to wrap them around the freshly prepared wound. It was always a battle of body and soul; of mind over matter.

Common sense told her that she had just been caught up in the fervor of the moment with Kakashi. The kiss alone was dangerous ground. She knew where it could lead if she allowed it. Through the front door, up the stairway, into the bedroom. She wasn't stupid. That was how it had been with Sasuke. She'd always have to fight every emotion in her heart and body and the sensations running through it just to shake her head at him. She never gave in until their wedding night. That was the first time they made love. She had relinquished her whole self to him.

So why was it different with Kakashi? She couldn't deny that she felt something for the man. When he'd held her in his arms, she had thought about it. Asking him to stay, begging him to hold her tight just a moment longer. It wasn't just about physical attraction or sex. She needed him to be there because of the man he was. He had been a teacher once, a wise and trusted mentor. He was a friend now, a source of laughter and a shoulder to cry on. She did love him, and after the event only hours before, she knew that he loved her. Couldn't he be her lover as well?

The tea kettle whistled its way into Sakura's head, disturbing the thoughts that had congregated there. She got up and removed the kettle from the fire. She sighed as the thoughts faded away from her.

There was an urgent knock at the door.

Sakura peered out the window, flashlight in hand. The porch light was still out. Kakashi had promised to come fix it a few hours from now.

A ninja stood on her doorstep dressed in the guise of the ANBU personnel. Sakura's chest tightened. Although she hadn't glanced at the clock, she figured it must have been on two or three in the morning. ANBU didn't show up at your door at all hours of the night just for a friendly chat. She noticed a letter in the gloved hand. She quickly unlocked the door and greeted the masked ninja.

"Uchiha Sakura." The black holes in the animalistic mask stared at her momentarily, and then held the letter out to her. "You are to report to Headquarters in one hour for a meeting. That's at 4:30 am. Bring this document with you when you arrive."

Sakura nodded to the ANBU member, who disappeared in the next instant. She peered at the paper grasped firmly in her hand. _What could be so important that they're calling a meeting?_

She fumbled with the seal on the letter and unfolded it. She sat down at the kitchen table before lifting the letter to her eyes to read and took a breath. She didn't want anymore surprises to knock her flat on her back today.

* * *

Thank you for reading! All reviews are welcomed and can be directed to the reviews section : ) 


	10. The Copy Ninja's Complicated Life

Hi there! Sorry for the lack of updates. School started again and the teachers really know how to pile it on o.O Thanks for waiting, though, so without further ado, here is chapter ten. Reviews will be responded to at the bottom.

* * *

Kakashi stood at the base of the monument on the edge of the training grounds. He stared blankly at the lines etched into the surface of the smooth stone illuminated solely by the stars in the distant expanse of darkness. It was another clear night just like the one before, and the chill of autumn still loomed in the air. He could sense the impending rains, still miles away, which would fall from the sky in downpours in a matter of hours. 

The Copy Ninja released a heavy sigh beneath his silky mask. Only his normal black eye remained uncovered on his face, distorting his vision in the shadows of the night. He shifted his forehead protector with a firm hand until his Sharingan was revealed.

Characters formed on the marbled surface that his eyes perused and joined together to create names of people Kakashi had once known. Men and women, young and old; everyone was here. They were the ninja who had once served Konoha. Every name represented one courageous Shinobi that had made the ultimate sacrifice for the village. To earn such an esteemed privilege as a having a place on this monument, that sacrifice was the only requirement. It was the one thing all the names shared.

They were all honored as heroes of the village because they were all dead.

There were ninja that had fallen in the midst of the battlefields while defending Konoha. There were ninja that had been struck down on missions in the service of Konoha. In exchange for their lives, the names of the deceased would be engraved onto the monument as a testament to what they had given up.

The names represented all the people who had once been loved and cared for; all the people who were now missed. Obito was there. Rin was there. Yondaime was there. Kakashi wondered why he, himself, was not.

Since Obito's death all those years ago, Kakashi had visited the monument in a daily basis. Excluding the times he was out on missions, it had become a habit to walk the path winding through the village in the early morning and end up at the foot of the monument. He'd say a prayer and linger on for hours at a time, mentally addressing the names etched in stone. He would ask questions that went unanswered, only to return home feeling no more fulfilled than before the visit. Then again, maybe the whole process had a consoling effect on the Copy Ninja, who was haunted by the guilt of living when everyone else was dead. Maybe he thought redemption would come if he visited the names enough. In any case, it had become a ritual in his daily life; a habit too hard to break. In escaping death, he would have to be alone.

_You're not alone_.

Kakashi listened as the words resonated through his head. He knew the silent voice was right. Ten years ago, he had truly thought that he had lost everyone he ever cherished. Ten years was a long time though, and circumstances had changed. There was now one who remained beside him when all others were gone.

_Sakura_.

The Copy Ninja scratched his head in frustration and sighed.

When did things become so complicated? When did he actually realize he had developed such feelings for the roseate kunoichi?

He never once doubted that he cared for all three of his three former students. In the beginning he had come to treasure Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura as his partners and teammates. Sakura had been twelve then; clearly intelligent, but even more obviously, innocently naive in her own way. She focused her energy on winning over Sasuke, letting her emotions get the better of her many times. She had been a mere child. It couldn't have been then.

So when was it that Kakashi first found himself gazing at her for no apparent reason? What had changed that made everything about her different to him? He guessed it would have been around the time Sakura was fifteen or so, before Sasuke came back.

Kakashi came home from an extended mission one day to find the little girl, who would usually stand at the village entrance awaiting his return, now replaced with a young woman. Under Tsunade's watchful eye the kunoichi had mentally developed the maturity and skills needed in the ninja world; and, physically, nature had taken care of the rest.

In his few months of absence, Sakura had blossomed.

She smiled up at him from her small stature as she always did, and took his bags to accompany him on the walk to his apartment. She prompted him on everything he had missed in his absence, as usual, but Kakashi had remained unusually quiet that day. He found himself staring oddly at this new person and quite unsure of why he was doing it.

Sakura asked him what was wrong, obviously worried about his health, and Kakashi smiled and said he was just tired. She accepted the answer reluctantly, but left him to his thoughts. When they finally reached his apartment, she had hugged him kindly before bidding him farewell, as was normal. However, he lingered at his second story window and watched her walk down the street, still baffled by the new sensation that had arisen inside him at the sight of her.

Although he had been tired, it was not the reason Kakashi had been at a loss for words on the short trip home. On the contrary, it was because of Sakura. Like a lovesick school boy, he had gone tongue-tied by the transformed kunoichi. Had it not been for his mask, Sakura would have seen the expression of surprise plastered on his face.

But Sakura was still Sakura. Even then, she still held onto the hope that Sasuke would come home safe and sound. Kakashi could not bring himself to tear away that hope. That unrequited love was the last piece of the kunoichi's childhood that remained, and he had let her cling to it.

Only a few months later, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura, along with other Konoha ninja, became involved in the messy schemes of the rivaling Orochimaru and Akatsuki. In the end, Sasuke had returned to the side of Konoha, helping to vanquish Orochimaru and finally getting the chance to kill his brother, Itachi.

Although he was badly wounded, Sasuke had survived battle. Sakura's emotions maneuvered back and forth between dejection over his injuries and elation over his return. She had sat by his hospital bed until he awoke from a coma and then nursed him back to health. Surprisingly, it soon became apparent that Sasuke had developed feelings reciprocating those of the roseate kunoichi. As his strength grew, so did his love for Sakura.

So, in the end, Kakashi backed down from his newfound feelings and suppressed them. Sakura had what she'd longed for over the last eight years of her life, and she was truly happy again. Kakashi would not interfere and cause anymore pain for her.

But then Sasuke died, and Kakashi became a shoulder for Sakura to cry on. Things were apparently different between them, then, since Sasuke had passed away. Otherwise, why had Sakura kissed him just the night before?

He could be wrong. After all, they had both been a little intoxicated. Defenses were down on their respective sides at that point. She could be feeling regret now for the kiss, labeling it as a simple spur-of-the-moment mistake.

However, he secretly doubted this theory. Even if Sakura had been a little drunk or off guard, she wasn't one to make hasty decisions when it came to men. His birthday was probably the first time Sakura had been out on anything that could be classified as a real date. She had several offers over the last few years by young, handsome Jounin who had taken notice in her, only to disappoint them with rejection.

Was it possible that there was something of substance between them now? Would she be willing to let there be something?

A breeze swept across the Copy Ninja, whisking away his thoughts as the presence of someone hidden within the shadows came into range. He was familiar with this subtle entrance, and identified the intruder as an ANBU member. He had a good idea of why the squad had dispersed throughout the village as he sensed the other members now at varying distances. He sighed and rubbed his eyes before sliding his forehead protector back down.

"I didn't expect this to happen so soon," he said, remaining turned toward the stone. He sensed the silent footsteps of the body approaching him.

"Neither did we," a feminine voice replied. The figure of a young woman appeared before Kakashi holding a sealed letter out to him. "I'm sure you're aware of what's been going on."

"Yes," Kakashi admitted, "Hokage-sama has been kind enough to keep me informed." He took the document and opened it with a flick of his wrist, chuckling as he read the contents of the page. "Well, well," he mused, "I gather this is a very big deal."

The masked ANBU face nodded in confirmation. "We'll be waiting," she said, quickly bowing before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi shook his head and turned to gaze up at the village. He would have to cut his visit at the monument short today. He swore under his breath and abruptly took off in the direction of Headquarters.

"Just my luck."

* * *

After signing in with the solemn Jounin at the table positioned beside the doors leading into the conference area, Kakashi entered the empty room and took a seat in the center of the very last row. He hated being at the front of crowds. 

To passersby he may have appeared to be dosing in one of the auditorium styled chairs with his head slightly lowered. Anyone who was familiar with Kakashi, however, would know better; he watched the movements of the other ninja around him as they entered the room and found seats throughout the spacious hall.

Kakashi now sensed someone moving in his own direction. That presence promptly sat down beside him and kicked a pair of sandaled feet up onto the back of the chair in the next row. Kakashi could just make out the tip of the silver senbon protruding from his neighbor's mouth. He chuckled quietly and sat up as he tried to get a better look at the ninja beside him. It was Shiranui Genma.

The camel-haired Jounin smirked at Kakashi and leaned back in the chair. He adjusted the backwards forehead protector he always sported and folded his arms behind his head. Kakashi tilted towards him.

"Genma," Kakashi said, "how nice of you to grace me with your presence. I have to admit I'm surprised to see you here, though."

"Yeah; you and me both." Genma shook his head, looking slightly downcast. "You wouldn't believe the hot little number I had to turn down. We weren't even halfway up the stairs before I had one of _them_ banging on my door." He nodded toward one of the ANBU troops now positioned at the exits. "But what can you do?" He shrugged his shoulders and sighed.

"Speaking of hot little numbers," a rough voice pointed out from behind Genma, "It seems that our Kakashi here was seen around town Friday evening with a woman. Quite a bombshell from what I've heard." Asuma sat beside the Jounin, a cigarette clenched in his teeth, which were set in a devilish smirk. "What's the matter Kakashi? Was my birthday party last year not good enough for you this year?"

Genma, meanwhile, sat gaping at the Copy Ninja. He grabbed at his chest as if he was undergoing a heart attack. "Hatake Kakashi? With a _woman_?" He gasped and pretended to faint, falling back into his chair and banging his head into the wall directly behind him.

"Ow!" The crash elicited a cry from the Jounin and made a few heads turn back in their direction. "Damn it..." He rubbed his head in the tender spot before laughing. An intriguing thought had come to his mind. "So, Kakashi," he mused, "As you can imagine, we're very surprised. You're notorious for turning down some of the villages finest ladies. Tell me, now, when you say you were with a woman…"

Kakashi grew hot beneath his silky black mask. He scowled at the two Jounin who sat staring at him inquisitively. Their cheeks were red and about to burst as they tried to suppress their laughter.

"I just thought it would be nice to go out and enjoy the evening with a close friend. You guys are making way too much out of this. And get you're minds out of the gutter," he muttered, flicking Genma in the arm. "If you hadn't noticed, there must be something big going down for ANBU to call a meeting at four in the morning."

Asuma pulled the cigarette from his mouth, a gray swirl of smoke emitting from his lips. "You're telling me. It better be for a good reason. Kurenai flew out of bed like a bat out of hell when the doorbell rang. At first, she thought I had made the noise and was trying to scare her. I nearly got a kunai in the face." He pointed to the slight scratch on his cheek. "There's only one person I'm scared of more than death itself, and it doesn't help when she's my wife."

"Seriously, though," Asuma said, returning to the previous subject as he pushed Genma out of the way, "who was it?" He leaned close to Kakashi and raised an eyebrow.

Kakashi nodded in the direction behind the two intently staring Jounin. "Take a look. She just walked in."

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Thanks for reading! All reviews are welcomed. I had such a hard time writing this chapter for some reason, so I'm sorry if it's not up to par. I keep thinking about all the better stuff in here I can't wait to get to, though. 

The new ending of Naruto rocks, and thanks to it I was inspired. As much as I love the KakaSaku pairing, I felt so sad when I watched it Friday. I was like aww, and all teary-eyed. I'm dorky like that. Anyways, it makes me want to write a story based on the SasuSaku pairing, so that may be appearing in the future. I'm not sure if it will become the prequel to this story, or if it will be something new. I'd like to use the flashback dreams from this story, though, to write it. What do you think?

So we'll see. Thanks again!

Here are my responses. I work from the oldest one, so there may be more than one response for someone who has reviewed multiple times from 3/31 - 4/05.

AznNarutoGrl-91: Sorry, but I've gotten into the pairing of Shikamaru and Temari after their fight :) She totally dominates him.

Firefox: Well, I'm glad I've been able to turn you in favor of the pairing. I know what you mean, I'm jealous, too, sometimes XD

...: Thank you! Yeah, sometimes I just get carried away calling them one thing :p

cuito: I really like the flashbacks too! I think you kind of need to see what she's struggling with through everything as she's trying to build a relationship with Kakashi. Thanks!

AznNarutoGrl-91: Thank you! I figured it was about time something happened :p

iamitachi: It took me a while before I opened up to the pairing, but I think it does work well. Thanks!

Afiag: Lol! I know how you feel. I'm sorry if I made you scare your boyfriend. lol, thanks!

Princess7: I'm trying, but my teachers are evil, lol.

xoxoKakaSakuxoxo: Thank you! It is truly motivating to get such great reviews. I'll keep working on it:)

Jemiul: Thanks for reading :) Updates are on the way.

Firefox: I know, lol. I'm evil like that. Don't worry though, he's going to reveal his face eventually. Also, sorry about the cliffhanger :)


	11. Conflict of Interest

Hi there! Okay, here is the next chapter. It's a little bit longer than normal, because I wanted to cover a lot in this specific chapter. Also, I had written this chapter with a different ending, but decided to take a bit of a different direction with it, so I had to rewrite it o.O Anyways, thanks to everyone for reviewing. Reviews from 4/10 to 4/12 will be responded to at the bottom. Enjoy :)

* * *

"Take a look. She just walked in." 

Genma and Asuma whipped around in their chairs, eyes searching the crowd around the double doors for any signs of a stunningly beautiful kunoichi, but only finding the less-than-attractive features of a few older male Jounin. Genma's eyebrows furrowed as he started to turn back toward the Copy Ninja seated beside him and heard a simple 'pop!' As he looked back over his shoulder, he met a puff of smoky fog in Kakashi's wake.

The Copy Ninja had disappeared.

* * *

Sakura walked through the entrance of Headquarters and peered around. It had not taken her long to get ready and make her way to the building, where a crowd of Jounin sporting tired faces had gathered. She looked down at the letter in her hand, the one freshly delivered to her only fifteen minutes ago by an ANBU agent. 

She had been told to arrive within the hour and to bring the document now clenched in her fist. She sighed. The letter had been less informative than she had hoped for, stating only that the piece of paper would be required if she wished to gain entrance into the meeting. But that was to be expected. This was the ANBU they were talking about, after all.

A desk had been arranged next to each entrance into the conference area. A solemn-faced Jounin sat behind each addressing a long line of anxious Shinobi. In a rhythmic motion the two ninja worked at a steady pace, stamping the documents each man or woman carried before handing them a receipt of sorts. Sakura took her place at the back of the left lane to await her turn.

She glanced around the hall searching for a familiar face. While she had come into contact with most of the ninja in the room, Sakura had hardly had the chance to form any close friendships with her peers. At the moment she felt slightly isolated and wished for once that she had not resigned from active duty as an ANBU, or Jounin at least. Ino's words came back to her as she stood there. Maybe she really had become too absorbed in her job at the hospital, which took up the majority of the young kunoichi's time.

Sakura pushed the thought aside, however, as a cloud of smoke erupted beside the double doors. As the spiraling tendrils of haze dissipated, Sakura spotted wild shocks of silver hair and a masked face. It was Kakashi.

She watched the Copy Ninja while the Jounin at the table stamped her letter and handed her a slip of white paper, debating whether to try and catch his notice or wait for him to spot her. She hadn't seen him since Friday night, and she wasn't quite sure what to say or do now that he was only feet away. It was too late to think about it, though, as Kakashi's gaze scanned the crowd and landed on her.

* * *

Kakashi smirked beneath his silky black mask, feeling quite lucky. He hadn't suspected Genma and Asuma to fall for his ploy, which had been thought out at the last minute. He ran a hand through his wild silver hair, trying to regain his composure after that unexpected confrontation. 

He wasn't quite ready to deal with the senseless banter his friend would barrage him with once they discovered Sakura had been his date. Both men knew the roseate kunoichi very well, and Kakashi was sure he'd never hear the end of it if they learned he was dating his former student. _If you could call it dating_, he reminded himself.

As the smoke around him dissipated, Kakashi glanced around to confirm that he hadn't been followed. No signs of the Jounin were anywhere to be found. As his eye reached the sign-in desk, however, the Copy Ninja's heartbeat wavered slightly. Sakura stood before it, waiting for a slip and watching him.

When their gazes met, the roseate kunoichi blushed and glanced down, then up again. Kakashi gave a small wave to her and she tried her best to smile. A hand involuntarily rose to hover her chest for a brief moment, betraying her attempt at a cool facade and revealing the surprising rush she had experienced at the sight of him. She tucked a wisp of bubblegum pink hair behind her ear and walked over to where the Copy Ninja stood now, casually leaning against the wall.

"Hey," he said quietly, his revealed eye crinkling up as he smiled beneath the mask. He moved off the wall and stood at full height, towering over the petite kunoichi. Her heart skipped a beat. When had he become so tall?

"Hi," she whispered back uncertainly, fingering the lining of her shirt collar. She noticed that the revealed portion of his cheek was slightly flushed, and he appeared slightly disheveled. She watched him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kakashi chuckled nervously, nodding toward the double doors. "I just needed to get some fresh air. I was just going back in actually," he said.

Sakura frowned slightly. "But you just came out," she reasoned. Kakashi scratched the back of his head. _Crap_.

He remained silent for a moment, weighing the situation playing out in his hands. If he went back through the main doors with Sakura in tow, Genma and Asuma would be sure to spot them in an instant. He couldn't return to his seat at the back of the auditorium if he planned to bring Sakura along. An idea came to him.

"Did you want to sit together?" He watched as Sakura hesitated for a moment before nodding. He wondered why she looked so nervous.

"Come on," he said, "I've got special seating just for us." He took hold of Sakura's right hand, and started to lead the way back to the street outside, but abruptly stopped and let go when he heard a small yelp.

He turned to find Sakura cradling a bandaged hand. He eyed the small fist quizzically before peering up at Sakura. She blushed an ever deeper shade of red and looked away. "It's nothing," she muttered, "I just hurt myself while I was training yesterday morning. It's fine, really."

Kakashi noted the slight tinge of blood on the freshly applied white material. The wound couldn't have been more than a few hours old if it was still bleeding like that. There was something Sakura wasn't telling him, and she obviously didn't want to. He wouldn't press her about the details at the moment.

The Copy Ninja gazed at her apologetically and scratched his head. Sakura shuffled her feet and nodded toward the door. "So where are these special seats you've got for us?"

"Oh, right," he said, slapping his forehead. "They're right around back." He turned to the doors but didn't attempt to take hold of Sakura's hand. His first attempt had been a failure, and he wasn't sure whether it was wise to try again.

A hand tugged on the Copy Ninja's wrist, and he glanced over his shoulders to see Sakura right behind him. She held on loosely to his arm, waiting to see his reaction. After a moment Kakashi gently slid his hand into hers. He turned back around and led the way out the door.

* * *

After Kakashi had a quick word with the ANBU agent guarding one of exits, the pair was allowed inside. Navy blue curtains fluttered from the temporary breeze created by the door closing behind them. They were backstage in the auditorium. 

In the dim light Kakashi found two discarded chairs and pulled them up just to the edge of the curtains. They would be able to see everything happening on stage, but they would still have the luxury of remaining hidden from sight.

Two straight rows of chairs and a podium were positioned on the stage. Most of the seats had already been filled, with the exception of one. Kakashi knew it was reserved for the Hokage, who had not yet made his appearance to the crowd.

Muffled voices floated to where the Copy Ninja and the roseate kunoichi sat, tempting Sakura to cautiously peer around the curtain. The auditorium was full of Jounin and ANBU, now awaiting the start of the meeting.

"I'm impressed," Sakura whispered, still slightly excited at the idea of being on the stage. "What did you say to the ANBU?"

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, I am a member of Naruto's advisory council, so I really should be out there," he pointed to the two rows ahead of them, "but I really don't like getting up in front of crowds. So, here we are." Kakashi gestured to their shadowed surroundings.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, unsure of the appropriate path of conversation to pursue. Finally, Kakashi cleared his throat. "I, uh, came by yesterday, but you weren't home."

"I had to cover a shift at the hospital. Someone called in sick," she replied.

"I went ahead and fixed that porch light, though." He glanced at her sideways.

"Oh yeah," she said. "It was working when I got home. Thank you." Sakura was glad that the lights of the stage were dim as the blood rushed to her cheeks. Thinking about the broken light reminded her of other things. The walk home through the darkness. The quiet conversation as they stood on the doorstep. The kiss.

"Listen, Sakura," Kakashi said, "tonight, Naruto's going to get up there, and he's going to make an announcement. You must realize something big is going to happen, if they're going through all this trouble to call a meeting now." Sakura peered up at him with those emerald eyes, both anxious and curious.

"Do you know what's going on?" She watched Kakashi as he sat back in the chair. He slowly nodded his masked face in confirmation.

"Yeah," he admitted, "I've known for a while now. I just didn't realize this would be happening so soon. Maybe I was just wishing it wouldn't happen." Kakashi sighed and rubbed his temple. "He's going to make a decision tonight that could change a lot of things; everything."

Sakura frowned. "Do you mean here in the village…" Why was he speaking like this?

"I'm not just talking about the village." He looked up at her. Their gazes met, and Sakura finally understood. He wasn't thinking about the other ninja in the room, the people asleep in their homes outside. He was talking about them, the Copy Ninja and the roseate kunoichi. Kakashi and Sakura.

The door clamored open behind them, and Sakura broke the gaze. She turned in her chair as the figure of the Hokage, clad in white robes, rushed through the doorframe. He cursed beneath his breath.

"I can't believe I'm late for my own meeting," he muttered, "It's always something…" His eyes trailed behind him, as his faithful ANBU squad followed, before shifting over to Kakashi and Sakura. The couple sat watching the frenzy from their chairs.

Even in the faint glow, Sakura could make out Naruto's grim expression. The corners of his mouth were set into a frown beneath wary eyes and raised eyebrows. The usually jovial Hokage was serious and worried.

Naruto nodded to Kakashi and Sakura. "What are you guys doing back here? And you're supposed to be on stage," he said, pointing at Kakashi.

Kakashi shrugged. "I _am_ on stage," he reasoned. Naruto waved a hand dismissively.

"Fine, stay back here then," he said, fidgeting with his hat. He turned to Sakura and motioned at his head. "Is this thing on straight?"

"Yeah," Sakura said, still slightly taken aback by the sudden excitement. Naruto took a deep breath.

"Alright," he muttered, "here goes nothing."

* * *

"Thank you to everyone for coming." 

Naruto stood before the crowd of silent Shinobi as they stared up at him. He blinked his eyes and paused for a moment. He still hadn't gotten used to being paid so much attention as Hokage.

"I know this meeting may have come at an inconvenient time, being that it is now almost 5:00 am. However, a situation has occurred that requires immediate attention. Several hours ago, a four-man team of highly skilled Jounin took up its shift on border patrol at the edge of the Fire Nation. The map, please."

Shikamaru sat on the end of the first row on stage, a scroll grasped firmly in his hand. He served on Naruto's advisory council as the head strategist and information specialist. He stood up and performed a series of seals, and then placed the scroll on the ground.

The cylinder of paper flung open and expanded the length of the stage. The visuals of a tracking map shot into the air for all eyes to see. The various nations were displayed on the holographic chart, along with names of the countries, major cities, and hidden villages.

"As you can see," Shikamaru said, "the red line follows the route the team took. An hour into the patrol, a call was received from the team leader, regarding suspicious activities north of their position at the time. Permission was granted to investigate. The 'X' marks the approximate coordinates we received in the transmission. As I'm sure you all remember, this area was signed over to the Fire Nation in a peace treaty with the Lightning Nation last year. It is now designated under our list of territories." Naruto looked down at his hands, folded on the pulpit before him, as Shikamaru retrieved the scroll and returned to his seat.

"That was the last transmission we received from the team." A collective whisper surged through the audience. "Forty minutes later, a call came into the central command from the Hidden Cloud Village stating that the team had been captured. They are currently being held captive in violation of the treaty between our countries."

"We have been keeping eye on the Cloud's activities for sometime now. That is why an outpost was set up near the border in the first place. There have been several incidents over the last two years prior to this one. After reviewing reports with my staff here," Naruto said, gesturing to the ninja on the stage, "I have come to a conclusion on the whole matter." Naruto glanced into the darkness of the stage hidden in the curtains, knowing Kakashi and Sakura sat there with bated breath. He silently apologized to the roseate kunoichi, his former sensei, and the crowd of ninja before him for what he was about to do.

"I'm afraid that I have no other choice than to declare war on the Hidden Cloud Village of the Lightning Nation."

_

* * *

War._ Sakura's heart stopped as the word flooded into her head. Her breath froze in her chest with that simple word. Everything slowed down as she tried to grasp the weight of it all. 

The sounds of words ushering from the Rokudaime's mouth were long and drawn out, taking an eternity to reach her mind that could not process the information fast enough. Now someone else was getting up to speak, his body sluggishly approaching the podium. Sakura did not watch the man. Instead, she concentrated on her hands folded in her lap.

"We were anticipating an eventual confrontation between our nations, so we began preparations for a fort in that area a few months ago. Currently, the fort remains concealed from Cloud, and their intelligence has not yet even discovered that the completed structure exists. However, we must face the possibility that they will extract the information from the captive ninja. Therefore, it has been decided that we will send a group of Jounin and ANBU to the garrison."

"After we conclude the meeting, all of you are to go home and pack a bag of essential items: weapons, scrolls, clothes, a few personal items. It is imperative that we travel light, so it will be limited to what you can carry on your own person. We will meet at 8:00 am at…" The voice continued on, explaining the coordinates of the rendezvous points correlated with the numbers written on the slips the ninja had received before the meeting. The group would be split down into several teams. The mission was to be kept confidential. No revealing unnecessary information to loved ones. They would find out soon enough what was going on, the voice explained.

Sakura's head slowly shifted, turning to look at the Jounin beside her. She couldn't move fast enough when she wanted to look him in the eye. She wanted him to tell her it was a terrible mistake; that they didn't have to go, that they could stay in Konoha.

She didn't want there to be a war. A war meant sacrificing everything, body and soul, family and friends. Lovers. Although it wasn't forbidden, romance in a war zone at any rate was highly unorthodox. A war could last ten days or ten years, and love was a hindrance in such times. Such emotions would cloud the ninja's mind and create distractions that could tip the scales in the enemy's favor. Everything would have to be put on hold until it was all over. In the end, the stress of a war could tear the closest people apart and eat away at anything good and true.

This was what he had meant when he said things would change. Kakashi had to do it. He had to stop it. Would he still be able to look at her without feeling guilt? Would she still care for him after everything was said and done?

Kakashi watched Sakura as she looked at him, her bubblegum locks swaying as she shook her head in disbelief. Her emerald eyes shone brightly in the cast of the dim light. They begged for a truth that was only wishful thinking. Kakashi lifted his forehead protector so that both eyes were on Sakura.

_Tell me it's not true._

But it is true.

_What are we going to do?_

I don't know.

_Why did it have to happen now?_

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

_I don't want you to get hurt._

I don't have a choice in this.

_I like you._

Why are you looking at me like that?

_I care about you._

Please don't do this, not now.

_I want to be with you._

It's hard enough just to look at you

_I love you._

"Don't say it," Kakashi's voice pleaded, barely an audible whisper.

Sakura turned in her chair. "Why not?" She reached out a small hand to rest on his knee.

"Because, it'll only make everything harder," Kakashi said.

"But…" Sakura frowned and looked away, "After what happened the other night, I thought things would be different between us." She felt the blood rush to her face.

"They are," he reassured her, letting his fingers run along her blushing cheek. He tilted her face up to match his gaze. "You know the rules when it comes to war. A relationship on the battlefield is not only dangerous, but frowned upon."

"But it's not forbidden, or illegal, or anything like that," Sakura reasoned.

"People will find out," Kakashi noted. "Genma and Asuma are already on the trail."

"I don't care," Sakura replied. "Tell them, then."

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head of silver hair. He quickly found himself running out of reasons that their relationship couldn't last. "Naruto wants you to run the infirmary at the fort; that's why you were called to the meeting, even though you're no longer a ninja. You're going to have your hands full… And I'll be busy with managing patrols and missions," he explained. "I can't always be there for you."

"But I'll be there, waiting for you," Sakura murmured.

"You shouldn't have to," Kakashi said. He put his hands on Sakura's shoulders and squeezed them gently. If only she would stop looking up at him that way, then he could do it. He could stop himself.

But Sakura continued to gaze up at him, her emerald eyes reflecting everything she felt for the Copy Ninja; everything that could be summed up in the simple line she longed to say.

Kakashi felt his will breaking down. For the first time in his life, he lost control of his body. He futilely tried to prevent his arms from wrapping around her shoulders and pulling her close. He embraced the roseate kunoichi, unable to stop his own hand from caressing her bubblegum tresses.

Sakura held tightly to the Copy Ninja, burying her face into the collar of his black Jounin uniform. It felt good to be wrapped in the warmth of his arms, safe from the words of the man at the podium. If only for a moment, she wanted to remain that way.

* * *

Yup. So, there you have it. Oh, in case it seemed weird, that section where alternating lines are in italics represent Sakura's line of thought. The normal ones between them represent Kakashi's thoughts. It's kind of like a silent conversation they're having. You know how you can guess what someone's thinking by how they look at you? It's something like that.

Thanks for reading! As promised, here are those responses.

bijou: aww, lol. i'm sorry.

Tami: oh, you are smart XD lol. we'll keep those two guessing a little longer...

akirakaminari: Thanks! I wanted to get two chapters out this weekend, but i got some homework to do o.O

allyluv: lol, don't worry, more to come :)

AznNarutoGrl-91: yeah lol, i figure it's time Genma got hooked up to. I've got someone special in mind for him :p

epuneyujah: thank you :) updates on the way

Jemiul: heck yeah! i wouldn't say no to genma or kakashi XD (god i'm pathetic, lol. i need a boyfriend or something)... i really couldn't remember why i threw the light in there, lol, so i decided it would just be used as an attempt for conversation in this chapter. oh well :)


	12. The Feeling's Mutual

Hey there! I've been very productive in this story when I should have been working on English :P I already have most of the next chapter done, though! Expect to see that out withinthe next few days. Without further ado, here is the next chapter!

* * *

Sakura heaved the last box onto the shelf and stood back to study her handiwork. She wiped away the droplet of sweat sliding down her temple and sighed. It had taken her nearly a week to clean and organize the new infirmary, but she had done it. 

She had scoured every inch of the place; washed and folded all of the crisp white linens and soft blue blankets; set up the standard ten medical cots in the main room; sorted through the boxes of medical supplies and stocked the shelves in the main room and storage room. She had done it all on her own.

The four medical recruits would be arriving today, and she wanted to make the impression that she ran a clean and tight ship. However, Sakura expected little, if any, problems, as all four of the arrivals were supposed to be kunoichi like her former self.

She felt slightly lucky at her occupation as head of the infirmary. Unlike the new medic-nin and any other kunoichi in the fort, Sakura did not have to stay in the barracks, where two sets of bunk beds fit four women into one room. There were two different sets of quarters in the fort; one for men and one for women. Each came with a common room and communal bathroom for the whole group to use. Being that the population of male ninja in the vicinity exceeded that of the female ninja in a four to one ratio, the guys had to share rooms in groups of eight.

Sakura, however, had been given the option to stay at the back of the infirmary in a tiny secondary storage/office room with an attached bath. She was thankful for the excess of privacy she was lucky to have. Although it had become less frequent, her dreams were a recurring problem once in a great while at night. She did not want it to become public knowledge that the head medic was still fixated on her deceased husband.

After acquiring rarities around the camp such as paint and fabric from a secret source, Sakura had tried to create a room with an inviting and comforting atmosphere. She painted the room a mellow creamy color, covering over the harsh blare of off-white the construction crew had opted for, and sewed some simple rosy curtains to hang over the small window in the wall opposite the door. She had used the same material to make some sheets for the narrow futon that doubled as a couch in one corner of the room and found a candle to place on the shelf over the small wooden desk in the other corner. Although it wasn't home, at least it was comfortable.

The roseate kunoichi sat down in one of the rolling chairs behind the office desk set up in the main room and spun around once. The slight rush from the spinning was exhilarating, a strangely uplifting sensation after the past week. She had not seen Kakashi in the last four days; as he had said, the Copy Ninja had his hands full sorting and training a number of recruits on various things. However, Sakura felt slightly cast aside when she realized Kakashi had probably been avoiding her.

They had been in the same group traveling up to the fort, along with Genma, Asuma, and a slightly out of place Neji. The Jounin all held a commanding position of some sort at the fort and were privileged enough to acquire rooms for two. Asuma and Neji were to be housed in one, Kakashi and Genma in another.

Genma and Asuma rode on Kakashi's nerves the whole way, pestering him about his supposedly hot date from the Friday before. When she felt the blood rush to her cheeks as they barraged the Copy Ninja with taunts, Sakura had excused her self from the trio and raced ahead to travel beside Neji for a while.

When the silver eyes glanced at her flushed face and inquired as to what was wrong, Sakura made up the excuse that Genma was telling a story about one of his wild nights that she really didn't care to hear. Neji accepted the explanation without another word. He, too, had been the victim of Genma's stories one time, and found the experience to be quite humiliating. However, he sensed there was more to Sakura's escape from the group as he caught her glancing back at a silver-haired man in particular.

Despite the lack of conversation, Sakura always felt strangely at ease whenever she was with Neji. While working with him on several missions over the years, the two had developed a close friendship. After Neji and Tenten got married and had Mayu, they had asked Sakura to become the infant's godmother, and eventually she became the little girl's adopted aunt.

Sakura spun around once more in the chair to push the memory away, but only succeeded in recapturing the sick feeling she had experienced when she realized Kakashi had not spoken to her even twice on the whole trip. When they reached the towering walls of the stronghold and checked in, Kakashi had abruptly said goodbye and disappeared. The blood rushed to her cheeks now as the hurt and anger at his cold shoulder act resurfaced.

"You're going to throw up if you keep doing that," a sly voice mused from somewhere beyond Sakura's spinning mind. Caught unaware, the roseate kunoichi sat up straight, and in the process fell off the swerving chair. A distinct thump rang through the room as Sakura's butt came into contact with the hard tiled floor. Her emerald eyes dodged around, surveying the spiraling room for the intruder. The figure of Genma, which kept shifting three feet to the right, stood beside the hospital door.

"Falling flat on your ass works, too, I guess," the Jounin said, a friendly smirk on his face as he eyed the kunoichi. Sakura blushed at the added commentary, her face settling into a disgruntled frown.

"Damn it, Genma," she scolded sarcastically, "I'm glad you think it's so funny. Now what the hell do you want?" She grabbed hold of the desk as she made to stand up and steady her self.

"Ooh, somebody's having mood swings," he teased. He had to dodge out of the way as a container of Popsicle sticks was launched into the air in a direct course with his head. Genma raised his hands in defense as Sakura readied another jar, this time made of glass and filled with needles, in her small fist. What was it about him and female medic-nin in particular that never seemed to click?

"Okay, okay," he said, "I'm sorry. I guess you'll be happy to know that your new recruits just arrived. Man, I have to say, you've got some fine-looking ladies coming to work for you." The Jounin's face broke into a wicked smile. "That girl who works the desk at the hospital in Konoha came, too."

Sakura's head shot up. "You mean Sayo?" She watched the Jounin's face as he thought for a moment.

"Yeah," he said, snapping his fingers, "That's the one. You must have been the one who taught her how to throw stuff at me. What did you do? Stick my picture on the wall and see who could bust a hole in my head first?" Sakura stared at Genma.

"Yeah, actually," she said, narrowing her eyes and putting a hand on her hip. "I was very upset when I heard about that whole incident."

"Listen," he replied, his eyes now serious, "I didn't know that the guy was dead. I was told to rush that bundle over to the hospital ASAP. Someone in the upper ranks screwed up, and I'm the one who got landed with the blame."

Sakura frowned. "So, why didn't you just tell Sayo that?" Genma shrugged his shoulders.

"A man's got to save face, sometimes. I regret it, though," he added, "because I was this close to getting her to go out on a date with me." He lifted his fingers to his eye as he measured it out. The right side Sakura's mouth flickered slightly as she suppressed a smile. It didn't matter how mad she was at him; Genma could always manage to get a smile out of her. "I saw that," he whispered, winking at the kunoichi.

"Oh, shut up," she said, letting the smile break through, "Unless you want another jar aimed at your head." Genma chuckled and shook his head.

"That's okay," he protested, "one's enough for today." He placed an arm around the roseate kunoichi. "Come on," he said, "I'll help you bring in your new lackeys. I'll even help you train them, if you know what I mean." He raised an eyebrow and smiled wickedly.

"Genma," Sakura threatened, "you better stay away from my medics."

"Only when you're around," he teased. "You know," he added, "you're so sexy when you're angry." Sakura punched him hard in the shoulder, but he just laughed. He ushered her out the door and into the bustle of the pathway leading down to the front of the fort.

* * *

"Alright," Sakura concluded in a matter-of-fact tone, "That will be all for today. Take some time to look around and become familiar with the layout of the fort. I expect you all to be here tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. sharp." She heard someone on her left clearing his throat and glanced over at the filing desk. 

"Yes, Genma?" She sighed, narrowing her eyes at the camel-haired Jounin who sat behind the desk with his senbon rolling back and forth between his smirk. He had a hand raised for permission to speak. Sakura rolled her eyes and nodded. Genma smiled at the young women lined up beside the desk. He stood up from the rolling chair and leaned forward on the desk, his eyes fixing on each kunoichi with an intense gaze.

"Well," he started, "I just wanted to let you lovely ladies know that if you need anything," his voice lowered slightly, "and I do mean anything; my door is always open." Everyone of the young kunoichi blushed profusely, especially Sayo. She glared at the ground, and her fists shook slightly as she tried to keep her cool. Sakura noted this and stepped forward.

"I have just two words for you Genma: target practice." She raised an eyebrow and let a wicked smile spread across her face. Genma abruptly stood up to his full stature, eyes wide.

"See you around, ladies," he said, glancing at the kunoichi and giving them a small wink before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Sakura turned back to the line of women and shook her head.

"If he gives you any problems, please let me know. You are dismissed," she said. Everyone gave a small bow, and three of the medics scrambled out the door, whispering and giggling the whole way. Sayo, however, remained in her spot. Sakura walked up to her.

"It's okay," Sayo breathed, "I'm okay." She shook her head to clear it. "I've got better things to do than think about him."

"If you're sure," she said, eyeing the young woman.

Sayo smiled and raised a hand to salute Sakura. "Aye, aye, Captain," she teased.

"Well, come on then," Sakura said enthusiastically, glad for someone familiar to talk to. She started tugging on Sayo's arm and leading her into the back. "I'll show you my room."

* * *

Kakashi was lying in bed, staring up at the dim ceiling overhead, when the door clicked open and Genma slipped into the room. Kakashi glanced over at the alarm clock on the small side table they had been allotted. The red lights blared 1:26 at him through the darkness. Although he was dead beat from his day's work, sleep still evaded him. 

Genma glanced over at the Copy Ninja and nodded his head. "What are you still doing up?" Kakashi shrugged and stared out the window.

"I couldn't sleep," he said. Genma grinned and clicked his tongue.

"You poor thing," he teased, "You must be homesick for your girlfriend. Come on, why don't you just tell me who she is? I'm going to find out eventually."

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. He shifted slightly until he was positioned on an elbow, his head resting on his hand, and then abruptly shot a middle finger at the camel-haired Jounin.

"Oh, God; not you, too," Genma sighed. "Sakura was all pissed off today, too. She even threw a jar at me. You got any idea what's the matter with her?"

"No clue," Kakashi said coolly, laying back down and turning away from Genma until he faced the wall. He closed his eyes. How would he know why the kunoichi was so angry? _But you do know_, the voice in his head urged. It was because he had been avoiding her. He hadn't spoken to Sakura in four days. Five, actually; if he counted this one.

"When was the last time you saw her?"

"When we arrived at the fort on Monday," Kakashi said, "I haven't gotten the chance to drop by the infirmary yet."

"I meant that girlfriend of yours," Genma said, eyeing the Copy Ninja curiously. Kakashi's eyes snapped open as he realized his blunder.

"Oh," Kakashi muttered. Silence filled the space between them, and Kakashi didn't dare to turn around.

"Kakashi," Genma asked innocently, "Why haven't you gone to see Sakura yet?" Kakashi mouthed a silent expletive into his pillow.

"I've been busy," Kakashi replied. Genma took a step toward the Copy Ninja's bed, chuckling quietly.

"It's not like you didn't have the time," he noted. "You could've went to visit her when, instead, you've been moping around this room, which has been a lot."

Kakashi remained turned toward the wall. "Since when have you been so interested in my personal agenda?"

"Since a particularly emotionally distressed kunoichi started playing target practice with my head," Genma said.

"Well," Kakashi reflected, "that just about sums up the whole female population of the camp, so that doesn't help me out too much." He sensed the camel-haired Jounin approaching closer and closer. Kakashi finally glanced over his shoulder, wondering just what Genma was up to.

In that instant, Genma pounced on the Copy Ninja. As Genma struggled to hold Kakashi down, the body beneath him abruptly dissolved with a small pop, and he fell onto the empty bed. A Kage Bunshin. Genma spotted the real body of Kakashi heading for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" A replication of Genma flew in front of the exit and wrestled Kakashi to the ground. After a moment's struggle, Kakashi's body relaxed in the Jounin's grasp. In his current state, maintaining the fight would be devastating to the Copy Ninja's health, and he was just too tired to fight.

Genma smirked down at the Copy Ninja. "Let me get us some refreshments." His real body walked over to the dresser and pulled out a full bottle of some alcoholic beverage. "I think we need to have a talk."

* * *

The bottle of amber liquid sat on the side table between the beds. The glow of the lamp behind it cast through the nearly empty glass container, generating a discolored rainbow of light on the wooden floor. Genma and Kakashi sat side by side on one bed, their backs leaning against the wall. Kakashi swirled the glass he had in his hand, watching the fluid churn and slide around before finally settling down into stillness once more. Genma drained the rest from his cup, sticking his tongue out to catch every last drop. He rubbed his forehead and sighed. 

"Wow," was all he could manage to say at the moment. Kakashi glanced over at the Jounin suspiciously.

"'What?"

Genma shook his head and shrugged. "It's nothing…"

"No, come on," Kakashi urged. Genma chuckled quietly.

"Alright, then," he said, "Kakashi, you are totally screwed up in that head of yours." He reached for the bottle on the table.

Kakashi stared at the liquid floating in his glass some more. "What makes you say that?"

Genma snorted, the excess of alcohol finally taking its toll on the Jounin. He plucked the senbon from his teeth and flicked it onto the tabletop. "Do you know what I would give to have a relationship with a woman like the one you have with Sakura? You've got this beautiful, smart, and caring girl who is totally in love with you, but you're too much of an ass to say the feeling's mutual. And all the while Sakura's sitting there, thinking she's the one that messed up somewhere along the lines."

Kakashi glanced sideways at Genma. "So you're blaming me for all this?"

"Yes."

The reply came almost immediately, and got Kakashi's face burning beneath the mask. He grabbed the bottle from Genma and filled his own cup back up.

Genma stretched his neck and yawned. "Listen up, Hatake. I care very much about Sakura. Not in _that_ way," he scowled, taking note of the Copy Ninja's glare. "She's like a sister to me. It makes me unhappy to see her so upset, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Stop toying with her emotions and set her straight. She doesn't deserve that. If you don't love her, then just tell her."

Kakashi shifted and brought his leg beneath himself. "You just don't understand how complicated it all is."

Genma shrugged. "Maybe you're right. I haven't had a serious relationship in years. But still, if I were you, I'd go and talk to her." He took one last swig of alcohol and closed his eyes. "Now get out of my bed," he said, "Or I might puke on you for being such an ass."

Kakashi got up and trudged over to his own bed. Already he wished he hadn't drunken so much. His head grew heavier with every step. When he reached his destination he plopped facedown into the cool, crisp sheets. The feeling of intoxication swept over him, dulling his senses and dragging him further into the darkness of slumber. However, one image remained burned into his brain as the darkness enclosed him. The roseate kunoichi stared up from the picturesque memory, her emerald eyes smiling at him. As he let sleep overcome him, his mind uttered one last word into the silence of the night.

_Sakura._

* * *

Thanks for reading. All reviews are welcomed :) I know Kakashi's kind of being a jerk now, but that's the way the story goes. You guys are going to hate me for the next chapter o.O Anyways, here are the responses to reviews from 4/17-4/19. Thanks again! 

AznNarutoGrl-91: No, lol, we couldn't have a story without Genma!

Tami: Thanks :) I know. Like I said before, you guys are going to be mad at me for the next chapter :P

Firefox: Totally understand, lol. Runs in my family, too XD

bijou: thank you! i feel kind of bad though for writing things out that way :)

Jemiul: aww, I'm glad you liked it! I thought I needed to get the ball rolling and introduce a subject for major conflict. Oh, now I feel really bad for the way my next chapter is going to go. Naruto is kind of like my comic relief when I'm writing this :P


	13. Reconcilliation

Hi guys! Sorry for the lack of updates. My workload tripled, so I got depressed and bitter at the world. I know I said you guys were going to hate me for the next chapter. I even wrote a chapter that was really sad and terrible to Sakura and Kakashi, but then I got happy again. So, I rewrote it. I figured that if I was able to reconcile the things in my life, the characters in the story deserved the same chance.

Anyways, here is the next chapter. Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Sakura sat on the back steps of the infirmary, her arms resting folded on her knees. Blood was splattered across the front of her white lab coat and speckled her bubblegum locks. A streak of crimson stood out against the pale cheek from where she had absentmindedly wiped away a strand of hair. A heavy sigh escaped her rosy lips, and she bowed her head down to rest on her folded arms. 

Seven of the beds inside were now filled with Jounin that had accumulated over the last few hours. The eighth ninja had already been removed from the infirmary. The wound had been too deep, the blood loss too much, the time too long. Sakura hadn't been able to save him. He was the latest patient to die at the fort. He couldn't have been a day over sixteen.

As he lay dying, Sakura held his hand, knowing there was nothing she could do and hating herself even more for it. She had wiped the gathering beads of sweat from the furrowed brow and whispered soft words to sooth his mind. She had fought to hold back the tears as he asked her if he was going to live, already knowing the answer to the question. Sakura told him he would be fine and should just go to sleep for a little while. It hadn't been much later that his pulse stopped and his breathing ceased.

A drop of cool liquid splashed on Sakura's exposed hand, then her knee and sandaled foot. Soon the rain came down in a steady rhythm, soaking through her thin clothing and drenching her skin and hair. The effect of the drumming cold on her tired body was numbing, but Sakura found she couldn't pick herself up and trudge back into the infirmary. Despite the chill of the freezing rain that now racked her small frame, she remained sitting on the step.

Sayo peered down the hallway and out the open back door. She spotted the roseate kunoichi situated on the step just outside as the torrential downpour saturated her.

Sayo shook her head and frowned. She knew the death of that ninja wasn't the only thing eating away at Sakura. She grabbed a raincoat and draped it around her shoulders, heading toward the entrance. She waved a hand beckoning a blonde kunoichi checking one of the patient IVs.

"Matsuri," she whispered, "I'm going to head back to the barracks for the night. Can you keep an eye on things here?"

"Sure," the medic replied, her gaze trailing down the hall. "Is Sakura okay?"

"She's just a little upset," Sayo said, giving the worried kunoichi a sympathetic smile. "I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

A group of wary Jounin sat at the round table, staring at one another with hooded eyes and furrowed brows. The clock on the wall ticked away in time with the rain outside, creating a slightly hypnotic effect on the group. They had been in the meeting for the last several hours, debating on the course of action to take with all the recent attacks on border patrols, but had accomplished little in the way of a plan. 

Finally, Shikamaru sat back in his chair and groaned in frustration. He folded his arms before him and frowned. "This meeting is pointless at the moment. No one can seem to agree on anything in this current state. You all look like crap, and Genma over there is ready to fall out of his chair."

Shikamaru pointed to the sandy-haired Jounin with his head and senbon resting on the table, drool pooling on the wooden surface. At the mention of his name, Genma's head perked up and his two drooping eyes peered around. "Huh?" Kakashi was sitting beside him, watching the disoriented ninja. He kicked Genma underneath the table, producing a yelp and an expletive.

"I think you all get the point," Shikamaru said flatly. "I say we call it quits for the night and reconvene tomorrow morning. All in favor?" Every hand in the room shot into the air with lightning speed, even Kakashi's. As much as he wished a decision had been reached, he was tired of sitting in that damn meeting room. Finally Shikamaru dismissed the group with a nod of approval.

Kakashi and Genma strolled lazily down the stairway leading to the entry room of the meeting hall. As they approached the entrance of the building Kakashi was dismayed to see that the rain, which had only sounded like a drizzle inside the inner hall, was in reality a torrential downpour. Sheets of frozen water pelted the ground and the passersby as they scurried along the road. Kakashi felt nothing but the uttermost sympathy for the ninja who were on duty that evening.

A sharp jab in his side caused Kakashi to glare over at Genma. The Jounin, however, was looking in a different direction. He nodded toward the figure wrapped in a draping green raincoat. Beads of liquid dripped from the hem of the material onto the concrete floor.

"It's that kunoichi that works with Sakura," Genma muttered out the corner of his mouth, "Sayo." He glanced over his shoulder at Kakashi. "Why the hell does she keep staring at you like that?"

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me."

"Well, don't just stand here," Genma said, pushing the Copy Ninja in the kunoichi's direction. "Go see what she wants." Kakashi glared at the cautious smirk on Genma's face and smiled to himself. The Jounin's toothpick was flicking back and forth rapidly, an indication that he was nervous.

Kakashi strolled over to Sayo, his exposed eye trained on her. She watched him carefully glancing at the ground every few moments as she thought out what she would say to him in her mind. When he stopped in front of her, she looked up and stared at him.

"You're Hatake Kakashi, right?" Kakashi nodded his response.

"And I believe you're Sayo." He replied. "Genma has told me so much about you. If I didn't know better, I'd say he's quite taken with you." He spoke just loud enough so the Jounin on the other side of the room could hear his words. The young medic began to blush and refused to look past Kakashi's shoulder at Genma, who had nearly fallen over in shock.

"I need to speak with you for a moment," she whispered. "It's about Sakura." Kakashi's head perked up at the sound of her name and his eye widened.

"What happened?" His voice was surprisingly low and casual, but Sayo could sense the slight tone of worry.

"She's not hurt or anything, at least physically." She stopped and thought a moment before continuing. "Sakura's been very … down lately. When I left the infirmary, she was out there, sitting in the freezing rain. She lost another patient here today and it upset her really bad. But…" She looked away.

"What is it?" Kakashi's voice was more urgent now.

"Look," she said, "I know that's not the only thing bothering her. Sakura told me all about what's been going on between you guys. I'm not the kind of person who interferes in someone else's personal life, but Sakura's my friend. She is totally miserable since you two stopped talking. She hasn't left the infirmary since I don't know when, and she has all her meals delivered to her so she doesn't have to go out. She watches that front door like a hawk, waiting to see if you're going to walk in. When she's not working, she sits in her room and stares at the pictures of you guys in her photo album. She's really hurt, Kakashi."

Kakashi glanced down at the floor and scratched at his head. Right about now he was feeling slightly ashamed and totally stupid for the way he had been acting. He had never expected Sakura to take it all so hard. A hand reached out to softly grip his shoulder. Sayo was looking at him again.

"She could really use a friend like you. She really needs you now." Sayo gave Kakashi an encouraging smile and handed him an umbrella. Kakashi numbly took the handle in his hand and walked over to the doors, looking back over his shoulder.

"But I need to shower and change first," he muttered dumbly.

"You better get going then," Sayo urged, pointing to the downpour outside.

He opened up the umbrella and set it firmly above his head, taking his first step into the curtain of rain. A moment later, he disappeared.

Genma leaned casually against the wall, smiling at the young kunoichi. He flicked his toothpick and showed her a set of pearly whites. She scowled at him as he sauntered over to her.

"Thanks for taking my advice and talking to Kakashi," the Jounin said in a kind and quiet voice. He stuck his hand out she grudgingly took it in her own.

"I only did it for Sakura," she murmured reluctantly, blushing and looking away. Genma chuckled quietly and placed an arm around her stiff shoulders.

"Come on, Sayo," Genma said, "I think I should buy you a drink."

* * *

Sakura stood in the small shower stall, the stunted length of the shower curtain revealing delicately pale shoulders now splotched with blushing red. She allowed the burning water emitting from the nozzle to drum on her drooping head and race down the straggly strands of bubblegum hair. She longed for the scolding liquid to scour her body and wash away the boy's blood, the sadness and sorrow she felt for him and herself, but mostly the recurring ache in her chest whenever she thought about Kakashi. 

She had seriously considered walking over to his room that night. She knew Genma would be out for a time, so she wouldn't have to worry about him. It would have been so simple, to just sneak into the room and stand there in the darkness while her body adjusted to the absence of light. She would crawl into the bed beside Kakashi and…

And that would never happen. Although she couldn't understand why, the lack of words had said enough. If she were to push herself upon him, he would only react the way she hoped he would out of guilt and pity. So she had stayed in the infirmary, grieving alone as she always had.

She twisted the knob on the wall until the water came out in a drizzle, a sprinkle, and finally stopped. She grabbed the towel hanging on the rack and wrapped it around her dripping body before stepping out of the shower. A chill ran down the kunoichi's slender neck, but it wasn't just the sudden absence of the heat that brought it on.

Sakura sensed a familiar presence in the immediate area. Her heart skipped a beat, but she pretended not to notice anything. He would make his intentions known soon enough. That's how Kakashi was: he did everything in his own time.

She slid the door until it was half closed, just sufficient enough for privacy. The sound of music now floated in from the darkness of the bedroom. He must have found the radio on her desk. She dried off her skin, now covered in goose bumps from the cold air and surprise. Off came the towel and in its place a simple black camisole and matching shorts that had lain neatly folded on the sink counter.

She flicked off the lights and crept through the cracked door, still toweling at her damp tresses as she found her way to the shadow of her bed. This was a familiar routine to the kunoichi. She sat on the edge of the bed, reacquainting herself with the dark.

The figure of a man resting in the swiveling chair at the desk broke through the obscurity of the shadows. Sakura could distinguish the slightest glow of damp silver hair and bare glistening skin. From the little she could see, she determined Kakashi must have only donned a pair of dark sweat pants. He had even forgone his forehead protector and the black mask, the arch of his nose and smooth cheeks strangely in its place. His bare foot tapped in time with the rhythm of the low music drifting across the silence of the room.

The odd combination of crimson and raven met her own emerald eyes, studying her softly. She couldn't take it anymore; all this staring and waiting. She tossed the towel onto the floor and folded her arms protectively across her chest, regretting the absence of a bodice.

"What do you want?" The question was cold and casual in the roseate kunoichi's voice. Kakashi flinched slightly at the brazen tone Sakura had opted for. She must've been really angry to bypass the rage and skip right to such calm discourtesy.

"I came to see you," he said. Subtle warmth radiated from his staring eyes. Already, Sakura could feel her cold exterior melting down. She had never been one to hold a grudge and knew Kakashi would use this to his advantage. He leaned forward in the chair, picking up the discarded towel and drying his dripping hair.

"You're not wearing your mask," Sakura pointed out. Kakashi nodded as he rubbed a hand across his face.

"It's dark enough to go without one," he explained, though Sakura got the impression he was joking with her. "Besides," he said, "I figured I didn't need it if I was going to be here with you."

"Do you think I'm going to let you stay?" Her voice wavered as the words escaped her mouth. Kakashi could see his words were having the exact effect he intended. He folded the damp towel, hung it over the back of the chair, and shrugged.

"I wouldn't blame you if you kicked me out right about now," he admitted. "I will go if you want me to. But I just wanted to let you know… I'm sorry."

Sakura gripped her knees as the protective barricade was swept away on a flood of emotions. Her eyes burned with hurt and fury brought on by the breakdown and bore into Kakashi. Contempt, then anxiety, then relief were exposed in the gaze. Sakura closed her eyes tight and shook her head. "You've got some nerve, coming here and expecting me to forgive you."

Kakashi glanced at Sakura. "I don't expect anything from you," his whispered huskily into her ear. The blood was rushing to the kunoichi's cheeks.

"I'm so tired, Kakashi," she heaved, "Of fighting enemies and death; of battling emotions and you; everything. You better not be screwing around with me. I'm so tired my body can hardly move, and my brain can hardly care. So, if you came here expecting to catch me off guard and vulnerable to some kind words, you've got another thing coming."

"I would never do that to you," Kakashi replied, his voice repentant and gentle. "It's been a long time since I let myself feel this way about anyone; a woman, especially. I panicked, if you can believe it. I knew there was a war coming, and here I was falling for my former student and dearest friend. I kept thinking that I should just end it; that would be the best course of action."

"I'm not as young as I used to be, Sakura. Sometimes, I look at the younger ninja and wonder when the day will come that they will surpass me in strength and skill. I didn't want you to fall in love with me just so I could come here and die and leave you all alone. I remember how you were after Sasuke died, and I hated him for getting himself killed. I… I didn't want to be another Sasuke."

"Don't hate him," Sakura whispered, "I don't. It's my own fault that I decided to love him, just like I decided to love you. I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

"I don't want to hurt you," Kakashi replied.

"I would rather suffer an eternity of heartache than a lifetime without it, as long as I knew that you loved me."

"Then I guess I have no choice," Kakashi said, standing up and stretching. Sakura turned her face away, knowing what was coming next. She waited for another apology, the sound of the door clicking open and shut, but it never came. Instead, Kakashi sat down beside Sakura on the edge of the bed, his bare arm pressed against hers.

"I love you."

Sakura turned to gaze at him, surprise apparent in her wide eyes. Those were the last words she had expected from the Copy Ninja. He was so close to her now as he had been that night on her porch, yet he still used the darkness to his advantage. She could not define his face. But Sakura did not care. It was enough that he was here with her.

She let him slip a hand around her back, closing the distance between them. His touch sent shivers down her spine, and she rested a delicate hand on his exposed chest to steady herself. The muscles rippled beneath her fingers as he drew her into an embrace. After a moment, Sakura found her hands entwining around Kakashi's middle.

The kunoichi blinked her eyes as she fought to hold back the tears now pooling in her eyes, finding that she was failing miserably. She buried her burning face into Kakashi's neck as she experienced the foreign sensation of the warm liquid flowing freely down her face and onto his skin. How long had it been since the last time she had cried? It had been long enough that Sakura could not recall. She felt so stupid crying now.

Strong arms lifted her up and carried her to the bedside. She clung desperately to Kakashi's neck, afraid that if she let go, even for a moment, he would disappear. He pulled back the blankets and awkwardly slid beneath them with Sakura still clinging to him.

Kakashi gently kissed the furrowed brow and trembling lips, lingering there momentarily as Sakura attempted to return the kiss. He shushed and cooed at her sobs. His fingers caressed her tear-stained face and combed through the damp bubblegum hair consolingly. He held Sakura in his arms long after her whimpering had ceased and her breathing stabilized with the advent of sleep.

* * *

Rain drummed against the glass window panes in the early morning hours and roused Sakura from her doze. Sometime during the course of the night the chilly autumn air had permeated the walls of the room and crept into Sakura's bed. 

Emerald eyes snapped open as her hands searched for the heat of the body that had lain beside her hours ago, only to discover cold expanse of sheets. Sakura pulled the blanket closer around herself as she realized Kakashi was gone. She wondered briefly if she had dreamed everything up.

She turned on her side to face the empty vastness of the bed, on the verge of tears at her foolish thoughts, and spotted something positioned on the pillow. Sitting up and shivering slightly at the cold, she picked up the object and rested it square in the palm of her hand. There was no doubt in the kunoichi's mind that it was Kakashi's handiwork. Sakura smiled down at the intricately folded figure.

It was a paper crane.

* * *

Thanks again for reading. Reviews are welcomed. 

On a sidenote, I also started writing my next story. I'm going to wait a little while to post it, though. If you like Yondaime, then you will probably like this story. It will probably turn out a bit more serious than this story, based on a forbidden romance. I really plan to put a lot of effort into it. If you have any suggestions, then e-mail me. Sometimes, it's nice to know what readers want in a story. You never know, you just might see it :)

Thanks again!


	14. In Love and War

Hi guys! Woah, you people rock :) 51 reviews so far... If I could draw, I would make a fanart or something to commemorate this special occasion. Thanks to everyone who has stuck with this story. I'm so sorry about the lack of updates, but school's out... so I guess I don't have a good excuse anymore, hehe. Anyways, thanks again!

P.S. I've already kinda started on another KakaSaku fic, which is why this one hasn't been updated. And I plan to do one for SasuSaku, maybe a one-shot (Please don't hurt me!)... So stay tuned :) I opened up a Live Journal account as well.I put "akanasu"as my login name. I've been quite a busy bee. It kinda stinks, but I guess I'll post my updates on it. Maybe one day I'll get brave enough to post it in the KakaSaku Live Journal. We'll see XD

And on to Chapter 14!

* * *

Neji stood, a scroll firmly clasped in his outstretched hand. It was visible to everyone sitting around the table. "These are the latest orders from the Hokage," he said, his pale eyes scanning the faces of the Jounin opposite him. "I sent all the information we've collected back to Konoha, and from…" 

Kakashi sat up slightly, a newfound interest in the document. Up until now, he wished that he had stayed back in the infirmary with Sakura and blown off the early morning meeting. He had even seriously considered it. But in the end, the Copy Ninja had sighed and scratched his silver head, knowing a search team would be rounded up to find him.

The last thing he wanted was a public announcement to the entire camp that he had spent the night in the same bed as Sakura. He knew how the rumors would fly. So he gently unraveled himself from the tangles of blankets and the arms of a certain kunoichi, leaving behind his own dying warmth for her to cling to. He left nothing else except that little paper crane, praying for dear life that she wouldn't be mad when she awoke and found him missing.

"…After reviewing all the aforementioned documents, Hokage-sama agrees with me when I say that the best course of action is to put an end to the skirmishes here for good. As you are well aware, Cloud has reinforcements camped along that mountain range just to the north. It seems they are waiting for the official word to ambush our compound, which should be delivered within the next twenty-four hours."

"Wait a second," Genma interrupted, eyes wide and senbon clenched tightly in his jaws, "Twenty-four hours? What the hell have we been doing here? Sitting with our heads up our asses?"

Shikamaru cleared his throat and leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on the table. The respective fingers on each of his hands converged in a series of curving arches before his closed eyes. "Even though I can't say I'm fond of how Genma just put it, he's got a point. We could be attacked five minutes from now or tomorrow morning. The whole point of sending out that reconnaissance team was so we wouldn't have problems like this. Unfortunately, things don't always work out as planned."

"Well I hope someone's got another plan," Genma said.

Shikamaru's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly. "Would you let me finish?" His dark lazy eyes blinked open and narrowed at Genma first, slowly shifting focus to every person sitting around the table. "Last night I began drawing up a strategy that would allow us to play both offense and defense should Cloud decide to go through with their little raiding party." He whipped out a wide scroll and sent it reeling down the table.

Soon a detailed map of the area was splayed across the chestnut surface. Little stick figures suspiciously similar to the surrounding Jounin dotted the landscape of the paper. Kakashi grinned wryly beneath the veil of dark material, finding it oddly funny to see his own little caricature donning its own little forehead protector tilted to one side and a scribble that he guessed was supposed to be his mask.

"Okay," Shikamaru drawled, "As you can see, I drew some pretty pictures to help everyone get a sense of where they'll be. _I_ will be stationed here at the fort, since I head the central intelligence and strategy teams. I'll be assessing incoming information and deciding the best course–"

"Hey," Genma blurted, pointing a finger at his own stick figure located within the walls of the base.

"Yes?"

"Okay, first of all I am not cross-eyed," he declared, "and secondly, where's the chick I should have hanging on my arm?"

Shikamaru just sat there a moment, his narrowed eyes taking in the site of his toothpick antagonist. There was no way he could survive a whole battle with Genma at the fort. It was unheard of. Impossible. "Okaaay," he said, leaning over the table with a tan magic marker in hand. After a few seconds, a new version of Genma's depiction appeared next to Kakashi's little dude. Their thin line arms were sloppily looped together. "Genma, you've been promoted to the inner battlefield with Hatake over there."

"Hmm…" Genma's face scrunched up as he pretended to studiously weigh the new command like an offer at the market. "He's not really what I had in mind, but I guess I could live with that. I'm glad you and I could see eye to eye." He soccer-punched the air and hissed, "Yes!"

"Gee thanks Shikamaru," Kakashi muttered. "You sure know how to make a girl feel loved."

"Anytime," Shikamaru replied smugly. "Now, if we could get back to business. I want to get you guys out of here ASAP."

* * *

"Sakura," Sayo called in a singsong voice from the doorway to the supply room. The head of cherry blossom hair flipped back to reveal a thinking face to the caller. "You busy?" 

"Kinda," Sakura admitted, returning to staring at the shelves. A new shipment of supplies had just arrived, and she had set to the task of organizing the goods in the back.

"Okay," Sayo sighed, her eyes on the distracted kunoichi. "I guess I'll just tell Kakashi to come back later." This time Sakura's body made a full 180 degree rotation.

"Kakashi?"

"Yup." Sayo shrugged, a teasing look in her gaze. "I'll tell him you're too busy…"

Sakura stared at the girl in disbelief. "No way. Send him back here this instant." Sayo smiled knowingly at Sakura, reminded of the tell-all discussion they'd had earlier that morning about the night before. Sakura looked at the concrete floor and blushed.

"Whatever you say, Captain."

Sakura went back to scanning the crowded shelves, one eye watching the vacant doorway. She ran an insecure hand through her tangled mane in an attempt to quell the mass of pink hair. She hadn't felt so awkward since she was a teenager.

A moment later the reason for her unease popped its silver head into the doorway. "Yo."

"Hiya," Sakura replied, her hands involuntarily twisting the hem of her gray sweater. Kakashi took a step into the room, an envelope secured in his right hand.

"I volunteered to bring this to you. Documents courtesy of Shikamaru." His voice was almost formal as he eyed the open door. His free hand slowly pushed the heavy panel of wood into place and quietly clicked the lock. In two languid strides, Kakashi was only a foot away and towering over Sakura. He removed his forehead protector. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there this morning when you woke up. Did you find the crane?"

"Yeah," Sakura managed to whisper, her throat slightly dry. To her surprise and disappointment, Kakashi handed her the envelope. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting. "What is this?"

"It looks like Naruto wants us to take the initiative up here and end this whole thing as soon as possible. We're expecting an ambush soon, so after I leave here I gotta go get ready and brief my team. It looks like some extra medics and troops are on their way … I've been assigned to the camp perimeter."

Sakura shook her head. "But that's where a lot of the fighting takes place…"

"I know." Kakashi scraped his foot against the ground as he tried to think of something more to say. Emerald eyes stared hard at him, and his calm demeanor wavered. The words he spoke last night returned to him. _I didn't want you to fall in love with me just so I could come here and die._

Sakura's fist trembled, and she let the envelope slip from her hand. The papers splashed out and cascaded onto the floor, while she stood there watching them. She shouldn't have been so surprised. Kakashi would go where he was needed most, even if that meant a suicidal trip to the front lines. She shouldn't and couldn't try to stop him.

"J-just promise me one thing," Sakura whispered, tugging at the long sleeve of his Jounin shirt. She busied herself with refolding the rolled-up material so that it creased just the right way. Kakashi covered the small hands diligently at work with one of his own, bringing a pause to their activity.

"Anything," Kakashi replied, letting his bare forehead rest gently against Sakura's. His breath blew softly against her face, and she felt her legs grow wobbly at its warmth. Suddenly she was wrapping her arms around his middle, holding on for dear life.

"Don't go out there and get yourself killed, you hear me?" Her quivering voice was pleading and commanding all at once, revealing weakness and strength in one sentence. She needed him to come back. Was it supposed to feel this nice, to be needed so much?

"I hear you," Kakashi murmured, running his fingers through the bubblegum locks resting against his olive green vest. The words vibrated through Sakura's body, his steady heartbeat left in their wake. Somehow she found the strength to pull away from him and step back on her own two feet. She had to put some distance between them, or she wouldn't be able to stop herself from repeating the embrace.

"You should get going," Sakura stated, folding her arms across her chest and shifting from foot to foot. Kakashi nodded and pulled the Konoha symbol back down over his Sharingan.

He turned around and walked to the door, letting the knob revolve between his guiding fingers. Kakashi glanced back over his shoulder just once with that charcoal eye. "I meant everything I said last night."

Sakura nodded. And with that, the Copy Ninja disappeared once more from Sakura. As he always did.

"So did I."

* * *

Shikamaru had been right; the first attack promptly arrived that afternoon when the border patrol groups usually traded shifts. The Cloud ambushers were quite surprised when Kakashi's units ensnared them in a dandy little trap instead. It had been simple enough. Upon inspection of the bodies piling on the ground Genma informed Kakashi that their adversaries had been Chuunin, maybe fresh Jounin at the most. 

Kakashi frowned beneath his black mask, scanning the expanse of green canopy illuminated in the setting sun. It was hardly unusual for Chuunin to fight in wars, but the number of lower-ranking Cloud ninja was staggering. Even more bizarre was the fact that they kept coming in droves like the mosquitoes after the summer rains.

He thought about turning his post over to Genma and heading back to base to check up on the situation. Communication lines had been closed down momentarily for the last fifteen minutes, which was normal. But something about the whole thing, everything, felt wrong.

Before he could put much effort into acting out his plan, the call came for another wave of enemies. Kakashi sighed. He had been hoping for something a bit more exciting.

Convulsions racked the infirmary as the Cloud's assault on the compound continued into the darkness of the night. Every one of the twenty-five cots cramped into the building was filled. Sakura rushed from bed to bed checking the stats and IV's, scribbling notes on her notepad. After handing it over to one of the other medics, she raced out to the additional seventy-something gurneys she had set up outside in a spare tent.

Sakura jogged up to the back of one kunoichi. "Sayo!"

Sayo hovered over one of the injured ninja, frantically wrapping bandages over a freshly treated wound in his torso. Upon hearing her name, she gazed up confusedly. The poor girl looked beside herself with weariness. Her sapphire eyes glanced back and forth from Sakura to the patient.

Sakura studied the medic cautiously. "Sayo, did the new medics arrive yet?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered, wiping at the sweat trickling down her forehead. Despite the chilling autumn wind blowing through the compound everyone seemed drenched in the salty substance. "Wait," she said, "they went down to the outer walls. Supposedly the fighting's moved closer to the fort."

"Hey Sayo!"

This time the kunoichi jumped, ready to snap at her addresser. It was only when she turned around and spotted the pair of approaching ninja that her anger allayed. Her flushed face converted to a ghostly white as she absorbed the scene. Although she did vaguely recognize the seemingly unharmed blonde medic, the Jounin staggering along with her help was definitely a familiar face.

Senbon omitted, a dazed and injured Genma was hobbling his way toward the tent. His black pant legs and shirt sleeves were left in bloody tatters, crimson liquid flowing freely from the wounds. His eyes rolled back into his head. Sayo raced forward to help the overwhelmed medic carry him to one of the beds. "What's wrong with him?"

The blonde kunoichi shook her head. "He got hit really badly with a genjutsu. Then he took a rough blow to the head. We couldn't let him stay out there on the field in this condition." Sayo rushed back into the infirmary to get some more supplies.

Sakura edged to the unoccupied space on the opposite side of the cot and took Genma's face in her hands. She recognized the symptoms and began making the proper seals to dispel the genjutsu. She was surprised he had allowed himself to get caught in such a simple spell.

* * *

A burst of fire illuminated the pitch black forest, and everything subsided once more into the night. Kakashi leaned against the nearest tree just for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He was getting tired. His forehead protector had long since been removed from the Sharingan. It was dark. Too dark for his liking. 

He followed the sounds of shouts and metal clinking in the nearby distance, knowing it would take him and whoever was watching him back to the clearing.

* * *

Chocolate eyes blinked into existence on the pained face, then scrunched tightly shut once more. A hiss escaped from Genma's gritted teeth. "Those little conniving monsters…" 

"Calm down," Sakura warned. "If you don't relax you'll pass out."

"Damn it," Genma growled, "Sakura, Kakashi's out there all by himself."

"What!" Sakura had to restrain herself from grabbing hold of the ragged vest still clinging to Genma.

"Our team was stationed a half mile away from the outer wall, and we kept getting hit with all these chuunin. Kakashi said there was something rotten about it. So we were headed back towards base when we spot more Cloud-nin ahead of us. And I'm not just talking about Jounin," Genma said, his eyes growing wide. "I mean serious elites. Those bastards were gonna sneak in while the chuunin kept us occupied. They took down everyone else in the group except us."

"Where is he now?"

Genma watched her confusedly. "He's just outside the entrance, near the clearing, on the edge of the forest."

Sakura began searching through Genma's pockets, pulling out senbon here and there and tugging off his holsters there. Genma made a less than modest comment, something about "not being in the mood," but she just ignored him.

As she pulled off the white lab coat and attached the equipment to her own body, Genma shook his head. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sakura glanced at Sayo's approaching figure and nodded in her direction. "Sayo's going to treat your wounds."

"Wait!" Genma cried. "Hey! Hey, I'm talking to you. Aw hell, now I'm really gonna die." He watched on fearfully as Sayo exchanged glances with Sakura.

"She's not going to hurt you," Sakura sighed, tightening the last of the straps.

"It's not her I'm worried about," Genma said. "Kakashi's gonna kill me when he finds out I let you go out there."

"Then we just won't tell him it was your fault," Sakura reasoned. She set her sights to the front gates and took off, leaving Genma and Sayo in the dust.

* * *

There he was, on the edge of the clearing. Sakura could spot his disheveled mass of silver hair bobbing through the tree trunks, even through the dim haze of the battlefield and the torches illuminating it. She watched from the top of the stone walls as all hell broke loose below her. The ground was littered with the bodies of ninja while those who could still fight paid them no heed, trampling over the fallen. 

Sakura leapt off the edge and landed silently on the tainted soil, the sickening scent of blood and sweat and death reaching her nose. She stumbled backwards into the wall as the reeking stench invaded her body, saturating her skin and hair. She decided that when this was all over she planned to burn her clothes.

She regained control of herself, but not quickly enough to dodge the kunai sailing toward her. A searing pain bit into her side as the metal razor edge penetrated her flesh. Sakura released a surprised gasp as she fell back into the wall. Gritting her teeth, she pulled the bloodied kunai from her abdomen and promptly sent it back at her assailant. The glinting blade wedged itself firmly into the Cloud-nin's neck, and he fell to the ground.

After pulsing some healing chakra through the oozing gash to stem the blood flow, Sakura pushed herself away from the support of the wall and set off. She kept to the edge of the hollow as she followed her line of sight to Kakashi. At the moment, he was engaged in a fight against several menacing figures dressed in drab gray uniforms. She was almost there, only thirty feet away, when she spotted the Cloud-nin hidden in the branches of the tree hovering dangerously overhead. His beady black eyes glinted maliciously at Kakashi in the dim light.

Sakura took out the nearest ninja with a pair of senbon, her eyes flitting between them, the one sitting in the tree, and Kakashi. She eyed his sluggish movements as Kakashi brought another enemy down. It was frightening just how slow he was. And the fact that he hadn't discovered the ninja overhead didn't help. _He must be getting tired._

One of the ninja came at Kakashi with a katana in hand. Immediately his hand flew up, catching the wily blade on the silver Konoha band of his glove. The hidden enemy readied four kunai in his hand and, when Kakashi was good and preoccupied with the sword-swinging diversion, sent them sailing at his exposed back.

"Kakashi!"

Immediately Sakura sent four of her own senbon wheeling into the knives, knocking them off course as Kakashi knocked down his adversary. He warily looked up at the approaching figure, trying to discern whether the kunoichi was a friend or foe. The cherry blossom hair dangling in the firelight sparked Kakashi's memory, and he was momentarily relieved. But relief was quickly overpowered by anxiety as he watched her toss a shuriken vertically into the drooping branches above and its victim, a Cloud-nin, come plummeting to earth. He regretted having to take his eyes off of her even if it was just for a moment to deal with another gray figure.

Kakashi felt the warmth of the kunoichi against him as they came back to back in the center of the ring of Cloud-nin. "Thanks." He hadn't realized just how cold it was until he sensed the heat radiating from her little body. He leaned into her. "What are you doing out here?"

Sakura watched her puff of frozen breath dissipate into the nothingness of the night. "I heard you needed some help."

"Who told you that?"

"A little birdie," Sakura replied. Kakashi could feel her slumping shoulders shrug.

"I'm gonna kill Genma," Kakashi whispered.

Sakura reached into the kunai holster. "He said you'd say that."

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Kakashi brought his hands together and formed a seal.

Sakura winced slightly at the throbbing in her side but chose to ignore it. The wound must have split back open. She was glad to be wearing a black Jounin shirt, because Kakashi wouldn't be able to see the blood. If he did, he would only lose more of his dwindling concentration. She sent one last round of chakra through the hidden injury and took a deep breath. "I've never been more sure in my entire life."

* * *

Kakashi landed haphazardly on the ground as the last Cloud-nin crashed into the nearby pile of bodies. He scanned the devastated clearing with heavy eyes twice, just to make sure there was no chance of a surprise attack. He searched the black sky above, wondering how long he'd been out here. It felt like an eternity. 

In the shadows of the closest tree, Sakura could be found leaning against the gnarled trunk, her hands grasping her throbbing side in stifled agony. Despite her best efforts to keep the wound closed with a steady stream of chakra during the fight, she wasn't surprised to find the dark coppery substance thickly coating her fingertips. If Tsunade could only see her now, she'd tell Sakura how stupid she was.

As Kakashi's silhouette advanced in her dim refuge, Sakura stumbled forward and tried to smile up at the towering Copy Ninja. Instead, she collapsed into the comforting hold of Kakashi's outstretched arms, her body going limp. Kakashi felt a warm liquid seeping into his shirt where their bodies touched. He pulled one of her hands into the far-off firelight and stared at the blood that covered it.

His wobbly legs launched in the direction of the fort, taking him past the staring eyes of the surrounding Konoha Jounin. Sakura was cradled carefully in his arms, her head lulling softly against his chest. He studied her torso, spotting the tear in the black material of her oversized shirt, and somehow managed to tug the sticking fabric up from Sakura's mid section. His mismatched eyes widened in alarm as he absorbed the sight of more blood dribbling over her paled skin.

He increased his pace and set his course for the infirmary, all the while calling out for help to the nearest medics. Among the weary kunoichi, only Sayo looked up from her frenzied activities, spotting the familiar bubblegum locks bobbing lifelessly in the madman's arms.

She dropped the bottle of antiseptic clasped in her fingers and dodged through the sea of gurneys, waving frantically for Kakashi to bring Sakura into the building. Sayo led him down the hall to Sakura's room. Kakashi eyed the rosy sheets covering the mattress, speculating as to whether Sakura would be upset if they got ruined. "This is the last spare bed in the immediate vicinity," Sayo said, noting his stare. "What happened to her?"

Kakashi gently set Sakura's body on the bed before answering. "It looks like she took a kunai to the side. Damn it, she must have got hit before she found me."

Sayo glanced up at the ruffled Jounin as she arranged a series of surgical instruments on the desk. "Couldn't you tell she was wounded?"

He shook his head ashamedly. "I couldn't even sense one of the enemy ninja sitting twenty feet over my own head, much less anything wrong with her."

"Well I hate to break it to you," Sayo said, "but you can't relax just yet. Do you have any medical experience?"

"Not for something like this," he admitted.

"Okay," she whistled, "we'll just have to take it one step at a time." She picked up the scissors and snipped along Sakura's shirt. "What about anesthetic jutsus?"

"I-I could manage that." He took a post on the opposite side of the bed and hesitantly looked over the unconscious kunoichi. He rested his fingers on Sakura's temples, letting the last vestiges of his chakra flow freely into her. When he had drained every ounce of energy, Kakashi stumbled backward into the support of the beige wall. He watched as the blades slice through the final thread and Sayo pulled back the cloth, revealing a black lace bra. When Kakashi remained backed up against the wall, Sayo glanced over at him.

"Now's not the time to play shy, Kakashi," Sayo warned.

His cheeks tinged the lightest shade of red at the implication. "I'm not embarrassed," he said, "I'm out of chakra."

"I can get someone else in here to help me," she suggested, her eyes sympathetically wandering over the slouched Jounin.

"No, no it's alright," he said, treading wearily back over to the bed. He pulled the swivel chair out from the desk and sat down on it beside Sakura. "Tell me what to do."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Reviews are welcomed! 


	15. Homecoming

For the first time in my life (I think) I experienced a writer's block. I couldn't write for the life of me. I had several magnificent ideas pop into my head, but when I tried to focus and write down one, they all would disappear. Therefore, I apologize for the long wait on this chapter. Seeing those wonderful reviews and the new hit counter was actually very motivating. Thanks to everyone still reading this story. I'm trying my best to get the next chapter out ASAP. Have a nice weekend!

* * *

"…Are you sure?… It's been nearly two days since…"_ Two days?_

"Yeah. Don't worry… I'll stay…" _What happened?_

"Okay… I'll come by again… bye…" _Sayo._

"…See ya…" _Kakashi._

Sakura recognized the hushed voices breaking through the cloud of unconsciousness. She wondered why they sounded so calm and concerned all at once and why there was a throbbing pain gushing through her midsection that distracted her from pondering on the previous thought any further.

Her body stirred on its own as it tried to shake the vestiges of sleep from heavy limbs. As she stretched her toes a piercing twinge shot through her right ankle, and Sakura found herself suppressing the urge to cry out. A heavy breath that escaped through her nostrils was the only telltale sign of her ordeal.

A lamp flickered on somewhere close by. The shadow of someone moving through the dim glow fell across Sakura's pained face. Judging by the overall lack of lighting, Sakura determined that it must have been nighttime.

_But that doesn't make sense. It was dark when I passed out under the trees. I passed out._

Her eyes set to the arduous task of blinking open, something that had not yet occurred to Sakura in all the time she'd been laying there. As the blurred surroundings eventually swirled into a defined existence, she was relieved to recognize the room as her own.

Kakashi lounged on the swivel chair beside her bed in a matching set of navy blue Jounin sweats, casually scanning the pages of his favorite orange book. He must have been well aware that Sakura was indeed awake as nothing escaped Kakashi's attention. However, he continued reading on, perhaps waiting to let Sakura regain her awareness.

Sakura decided to say nothing. Instead she lay still and surveyed what she could from her current position.

Judging from the flimsy material pressed directly against her skin she must have been wearing a hospital gown. Her eyes confirmed this with a quick glance down at the bit of her body that wasn't covered with a blanket.

Bandages and other medical supplies littered the bedside table on the left.

The black void outside the window behind it informed her that it was indeed night.

There was a sleeping bag rolled out on the floor along the opposite wall.

An IV had been set up on her right side.

Her emerald eyes followed the thin tube trailing down to her hand. She drummed her fingers once against the white sheets.

In all this time she had not realized that Kakashi had laid his book down carefully on the desk and now watched her with mismatched eyes. The black silk masked still remained, but the forehead protector was nowhere to be found.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"About two and a half days."

"Oh."

Sakura tried to maneuver herself into a sitting position, wincing from the addition of aches and pains her efforts brought her. Kakashi helped to lift her up and added some pillows behind her head for support.

She noted how his hands lingered on her sides and shoulders when contact was made. The very same hands that had been covered in the enemy's blood two days ago. Hands so gentle and warm now. She shivered at the thought.

Kakashi remained standing, his hands hidden in the pockets of his pants. Sakura looked down at the palms of her own hands that rested in her lap. Hands guilty of the same act now seemed so impossibly small and harmless. She tried not to dwell on it.

Sakura cleared her throat. "Um… So what happened after I, uh…"

"Well," Kakashi said, "I rushed you back here to the clinic." He scratched his head in thought. "There were no cots left, so we had to put you in your own bed. I hope you weren't too attached to those old sheets." She shrugged.

"Sayo stitched you up. I got to play nurse. Did you know that you have a mole in the most interesting place?"

If she had more energy and less pains in her body to worry about, Sakura might have found the motivation to blush at the thought of Kakashi seeing her naked. She'd glimpsed more than her fair share of bare ninja, but when the tables were turned she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. She folded her arms over her chest, causing the dress material to slip off her shoulder and exposing smooth skin. _Oh well._

"I'm just kidding," Kakashi chuckled. "I actually heard that from Sayo. I left the room when she changed you into the gown."

"Just tell me one thing," Sakura groaned, rubbing her forehead, "Why is my ankle killing me? I don't remember getting that injury."

"It looks like you twisted it when you passed out. You sort of tripped forward, so I guess you sprained it." Up until now, Kakashi had shown a rather deadpan expression. "You, uh, you lost a lot of blood," he mentioned coolly, but his eyes betrayed his casual manner when Sakura glanced up at them. She tried to pinpoint the name of the emotion apparent in his gaze, failing to worry about it as a gentle hand reached up to tug her sleeve back up and caress her face.

Sakura was surprised to find it hard to breathe, not from physical injuries, rather that simple act of touch. Her frail body wanted to and would have shivered if there had been enough energy to do so. Finally, she managed to ask, "You were worried about me?" A stupid question when she already knew the answer.

"Sayo said you might not make it," Kakashi whispered, his hand never leaving her face.

"But I did," she murmured. "It's okay, because I did."

He shook his head. "I thought you might not make it." Fingertips traced their way up the length of her arm tenderly as Kakashi sat down on the bed.

Sakura closed her eyes. "Tell me you were worried."

"You know the answer," Kakashi said.

"I need to hear it."

The bed creaked with the added weight as his body shifted. His hands left her body. Sakura opened her eyes.

He sat before her, a mop of silver hair, Sharingan red contrasting with charcoal gray that were his eyes. High cheekbones, a smooth nose, lips that neither smiled nor frowned, the beginnings of laugh lines that betrayed the serious mouth.

A man with a face.

"I was worried," the face said, his voice identical to Kakashi's. Sakura wanted to reach up and touch him just to see if he was real. She hesitated, worried that the image would shatter in a million pieces if she dared to. The hands of the man with hair and eyes and the voice of Kakashi reached for her own and lifted them to his face. She wondered how he knew.

When the image didn't crack and splinter into oblivion, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She buried her face into the pool of silk cradled around Kakashi's neck, ignoring the pain in her side.

He even smelled like Kakashi.

His breath caught in her cherry blossom tangles, and she liked it. His arms snaked their way around her, trying to be gentle in their sudden need to feel her in his arms, and she loved it. His lips brushed her ear and kissed her cheek, and she wanted it. His kisses reached her mouth, so hungry and pressing, and she needed it.

Kisses that devoured her aches and pains and melted away her worries and fears. The kind that told her he couldn't live without her and had no intention of it. When was the last time someone, anyone, had kissed her like that?

But for the first time in her life, Sakura didn't have an answer.

* * *

It must have been quite a sight for the people of Konoha. Sakura was sure they'd never seen a silver-haired Jounin trudging through the first winter snow with a kunoichi resting on his back, pink curls dangling in the breeze. Her sprained ankle lay hidden beneath a layer of socks and wrapped securely in a floral scarf which people eyed curiously from the sidewalks before realization dawned on them. 

Sakura smiled into the mess of Kakashi's hair before returning to gazing out at all the streets and people she hadn't seen in nearly two months. How was it that everything here could still look the same when, on the inside, Sakura had changed?

Only two additional days of fighting ensued at the fort after Sakura awoke. Konoha virtually crushed any and all opposition the Cloud sent before storming the closest enemy stronghold. It didn't take long for the official surrender.

Meanwhile, she had been forced to lie in bed, relying on various visitors to relay information to her. Kakashi refused to talk about it, instead taking time to keep her occupied with other activities.

When he wasn't on duty, the Copy Ninja could be found on the edge of Sakura's bed with a Go board in hand or an armful of origami. Nothing to suggest there was anything more than a close friendship to prying eyes.

Sakura's eyes wavered as they passed by headquarters. Despite the fact that he was practically living in her room, there had been no repeat of that first night when she came to. His mask was always in place. Sure, there were those moments when she was laughing and he was leaning a little too close. The laughter would subside, giving way to a simple smile.

It always caught her off guard when he looked at her that way. Maybe that was why he hadn't kissed her again. Maybe he mistook her surprise for fear or apprehension. So instead of kissing her, he'd wiped a bang away or brushed his hand against her face and sighed before returning to whatever they'd been doing prior.

She didn't push the issue.

Sayo was able to repair the skin broken by the kunai in Sakura's side, but the underlying tissue refused to be repaired with medicinal chakra. The same could be said for her ankle. She'd never encountered anything like it, wounds that rejected chakra healing properties.

Therefore, Sakura was forced to recover the old-fashioned way, with plenty of rest and time. Although inconvenient, there were a few perks. After all, Kakashi _had_ carried her all the way back to Konoha. And now she _had_ to take time off for recuperation; in other words, a paid vacation.

Ino was sitting outside on the porch step when Kakashi pulled to a stop before Sakura's house. A pair of crutches leaned against the railing.

"Sakuraaaa!" Ino's shrill call rang out through the moderate quiet of the street. She stood up and danced on the balls of her feet. When Sakura was firmly planted on the ground and in touching distance, the excited blonde nearly crushed her long lost friend in a haphazard embrace.

"Ino, stop it," Sakura gasped as she latched her arms right around Sakura's middle. She winced and nearly fell from the whooshing sound roaring in her ears. The grip loosened and Sakura fell back into Kakashi's arms.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Sakura mumbled, "Just got a little dizzy there."

"We should probably get you up to bed," Kakashi said, searching Sakura's face for signs of refutation. She was going to bed whether she liked it or not.

To his surprise, she agreed. "You're probably right," she replied rather breathlessly. Before she knew it, Sakura was swept up in Kakashi's arms, and he was carrying her up the stairs to her bedroom.

She glanced over his shoulder to watch Ino following not far behind, crutches in hand, a wicked grin on her face and mischief playing in her sapphire gaze. Sakura shook her head ever so slightly and widened her eyes. _Do not say a word until he leaves._

"Something wrong?"

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin. Kakashi was watching her, an eyebrow raised. She laughed nervously and shook her head. "N-no, nothing," she insisted, giving him her brightest smile as she directed him to her bedroom.

Ino raced forward to open the appropriate door, her eyes never leaving the two of them. Apparently Kakashi was pretending not to notice as he sat Sakura down on the edge of her bed. _Everything still looks the same_. He sat her pack down at the foot of the bed and turned back to Sakura.

"I'm heading down to headquarters. I have to file a report." A genuine sigh escaped from his lips. Did he want to stay? "Do you need anything else before I go?"

"Well I—"

"Sakura," Ino interrupted, "didn't you hear the man? He has work to do! She'll be fine Kakashi, I promise." Sakura just stared at Ino, mouth agape. It was a well-known fact that Ino had some nerve, but kicking her best friend's former teacher out of her house was definitely a first.

"Oh really?" Kakashi sounded doubtful.

"Of course," Ino assured him, "Didn't you hear? A medic at the fort put in an order for a nurse to stay with Sakura until she recovered. So … I volunteered!"

"How thoughtful of you, Ino," Sakura muttered. "Glad you took it upon yourself…"

"Believe me," Ino said, ushering Kakashi out the door. "She's in good hands. I even took a class for this." She glanced back at Sakura. "I'll be right back." Kakashi was only given the chance to do his signature wave before being pushed out the bedroom and ushered down the steps. Sakura collapsed backwards into her mattress, tugging a pillow to cover her face and sulk.

Once she had finally gotten Kakashi out of the house, Ino raced back up the steps to the bedroom. She was ready to question Sakura, who was currently hiding under a pillow. A funny sound was coming from beneath the azure cushion that sounded an awful lot like … _Snoring_?

Sure enough, when she removed the pillow, Ino found the roseate kunoichi fast asleep. She huffed and puffed, but in the end decided not to disturb Sakura. After all, she could always interrogate her when she woke up.

* * *

Thanks again for reading! Reviews are welcomed! 


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